Beautiful Monster
by Johanna8D
Summary: Sam and Dean come across a case involving several disappearances and a lake. While trying to solve the case and find the monster, Sam is attacked and nearly drowns... Multichapter. Hurt!Sam
1. Ch 1: Gone

Disclaimer: If I owned these characters, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction... This is just for everyone's enjoyment.

Warnings: Rated T for swearing and just to be on the safe side.

Summary: Sam and Dean come across a case involving several disappearances and a lake. Now it's up to them to save the victims and try to stay alive, which is easier said than done. While trying to solve the case and figure out what monster is wreaking havoc, Sam is attacked and nearly drowns...

* * *

Sam was lost in thoughts, absentmindedly playing with his bottle of beer.  
Dean was at another table, talking and flirting with some blonde. But Sam couldn't focus on having fun tonight, because he'd noticed something on the way to the shitty bar in the small town they were in, that his big brother hadn't. Three different missing people posters. He didn't know if it was just a coincidence, nothing really suggested that something supernatural was going on, except for the feeling in his gut. He just knew they couldn't move on from this town yet.  
Impatiently he waited for his brother to be done, barely touching his beer, and then they started heading back to the motel they were staying at. On their way therethough, Sam noticed another one. Another missing person poster, a new girl.

"Dean, hold on", Sam said, confounded. "There's something here."  
"Huh?" Dean slurred, slightly drunk. "Wha'd'ya mean?"  
Sam was studying the poster. "I think there's a case here. This is the fourth missing person I've seen in this town."  
"So?" Dean clearly hadn't caught on yet.  
"So, I think that's a lot of people for a small town like this one. Something's going on here."  
"Alright. So… we'll check it out tomorrow", Dean said with a yawn. "I wanna go back'n'sleep now."  
Dean gave his younger brother a slight push forward to get him moving again, and Sam reluctantly obeyed, knowing they wouldn't get anything done tonight anyway.

The next morning, Sam woke up early, eager to get started. He took a quick shower while waiting for Dean to wake up. Seeing as his brother was still asleep when he got out, he decided to go for some breakfast too and picked up coffee and sandwiches. He got back to the motel and found that Dean was _still_ sleeping.  
"Hey, wake up, dude", Sam said, nudging his brother's leg.  
Dean groaned and rolled over, squinting up at Sam.

"What time is it?" He mumbled.  
"Eight", Sam replied, sipping his coffee. "Time to get started on this case."  
With a yawn, Dean sat up on his bed and rubbed his eyes. Muttering something that sounded like "too early, man", he then stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom, closing the door loudly.  
Sam gave a chuckle before starting in on his breakfast.

The police department was located in a small building made out of dirty-looking gray bricks. Sam and Dean walked in with their FBI badges at the ready. The place was crawling with cardboard boxes, like they'd just moved there in a haste.  
"Hi", Sam said when they got to the reception, showing his badge. "Agent Moseley. This is my partner, agent Squill."

Dean held up his badge.  
"We're here about the recent disappearances", Sam continued. "We'd like to see the case files."  
The guy at the reception studied their badges for a moment, and then he shifted his attention to their faces. Sam made sure to keep his expression calm and stern.  
"Alright then", the guy sighed. He pushed a couple of buttons on the computer and printed out a piece of paper.  
Moments later a police officer walked into the room. The receptionist handed him the paper. A name tag on his shirt read; Officer Donovan.  
"Follow me", Donovan said in a low voice.  
He guided them through a white, brightly lit hallway, to a black metal door with big white letters on it spelling "RECORDS". Donovan held a card to the scanner next to the door, pushed in a code and then used a key to open the door.

No matter how unorganized the place looked, Sam had to admit that the security system definitely was thorough.  
They walked into the file room, which was crowded. Every wall was covered in shelves filled with boxes containing files. Sam had no idea how they were even able to orientate through the maze of shelves.  
Donovan looked down at the list on his paper and then moved knowingly through the room, quickly locating the files that were needed.  
"These are the files on Sophie Cooper, Amanda Hibbing, Natalie Eden and Mona Thorne." The policeman handed them over to Sam, who gave half to Dean.  
"Have you noticed anything that the victims have in common?" Dean asked.  
"Well, obviously they were all girls. Different ages though, different origins. We haven't really found anything else that connects them yet."  
"Thank you, sir", Sam said. "Please let us know if anything new comes up."  
He handed him one of his FBI cards with their phone number on it. Donovan took it with a short nod.

Hours later, Sam and Dean were back in their motel room, reading through the thick files over and over again for some clue. Dean was just about ready to give up.  
"I'm telling you, man, maybe there's nothing supernatural going on here", Dean said, rubbing a hand across his face. His eyes were tired from all the reading. "They seem like ordinary disappearances, you know, teenagers running off."  
Sam shook his head, keeping his eyes on the files he was flicking through. "No, there's something here. I know it. There has to be."  
Dean sighed, but the expression on his brother's face told him it wasn't up for discussion. Then, it suddenly changed, frustration turning into excitement.  
"Wait, I found something", Sam said eagerly. "Sophie Cooper and Amanda Hibbing were camping together in the woods, right, and no one's seen them since?"  
Dean nodded. "Yeah?"  
"So, they were camping near the lake. And Natalie Eden, she was at the _same_ _lake_ , swimming with her brother."  
Realization hit Dean, and he suddenly knew where this was going. "Let me guess, Mona Thorne was also around that lake when she disappeared?"  
Sam nodded, a small smile on his lips. "Yeah, she was fishing with her boyfriend."  
"Okay, so what does that mean?"  
Sam bit his lip. "Don't know yet. But I'll bet my life that it has something to do with that lake."  
That's when the phone suddenly rang. Sam picked it up with raised brows. "It's the police station."  
He pressed the answer button, holding the phone to his ear.  
"Agent Moseley. Yes. Uh huh. Really? Wow. That is strange. Yeah. Thanks for letting us know. Bye."  
He hung up the phone with wide eyes.  
"What?" Dean asked. "What did they say?"  
"That was, um, officer Rebecca Ridley. She... She said that they'd found a body, and she'd been told to let us know."  
"A body? Who?"  
"Sophie Cooper. Guess where they found her?" Sam said with a pointed look.  
Dean didn't even have to guess. "The lake."  
Sam nodded. "The cause of death was drowning. But that's not even the strangest part. They found deep claw marks on her back. They were long, too. Like something dug it's claws into her back and pulled down."  
"Jeez. Well, I guess that confirms that there is something for us here."  
"Yeah. Maybe it's time we head out there to do some investigating. But first, we got some research to do." Sam smiled.  
Dean shook his head at Sam who seemed really excited about the fact that hey were going to be doing research for the next couple of hours. He himself really dreaded it.

XXXX

"There's nothing here!" Sam exclaimed, annoyed. He shut his computer with a smack. "There are about a hundred water creatures that could be taking them." He pulled a hand through his hair in frustration. "What about you, find anything?"  
Dean shook his head. "No, I didn't really find anything either."  
Sam sighed. "Alright, let's just head out to the lake then."  
"Great, first research and now we gotta hike through the woods", Dean said sarcastically. "Could it get any better."

* * *

A/N: First chapter! It might be a little slow, but I promise more action in the next chapter. So what do you guys think? Please leave a review telling me what you thought and if you want more chapters.


	2. Ch 2: Going Under

Dean swore as he swatted away a wasp. "This is why I hate camping", he muttered.  
Sam laughed at his brother, ducking under a couple of low hanging branches. "What, you afraid of insects now, Dean?"  
They were trekking through the forest, trying to navigate the lake, which turned out to be harder than they thought.  
"Not insects", Dean said grumpily. "Just the wasps. Those sons-of-bitches will sting you."  
Sam laughed again, then abruptly came to a stop. He'd heard something, branches breaking, coming from his left side. Dean was walking on his right, so it wasn't coming from him.  
"Did you hear that?" Sam whispered.  
Dean nodded, alert. His eyes scanned through the forest, before stopping and widening. Sam turned his head to see what had caught his brother's attention.  
Two girls were walking out of the forest, arm in arm, laughing. They were carrying large backpacks. They stopped when they caught sight of Sam and Dean.  
"Oh, hello", one of them said, the one with blonde hair. She smiled at Sam.  
Suddenly a strange sensation hit him, like an itch in the back of his head. It was a feeling of recognition, but he couldn't put his finger on what it came from.  
"Who are you?" The other girl- the brunette- asked curiously, her eyes falling on Dean.  
"We, um..." Dean cleared his throat. "We're heading to the lake. To, uh, to investigate."  
Sam frowned at his brother, who suddenly seemed to have trouble speaking. Dean ignored him.  
"Oh, really? We we're just there", the blonde girl said excitedly. "We've been camping." She walked up to Sam, reaching out her hand. Sam shook it. As soon as their hands touched, a calm swept through Sam. He almost forgot what they were out here to do.  
"I'm Josephina. This is my friend, Courtney." Josephina gestured toward her brunette friend who was shaking hands with Dean. A grin spread across his brother's face when their hands touched.  
"I'm Dean", Dean said, never taking his eyes off Courtney. "That's my brother, Sam."  
Sam nodded toward Josephina, who gave a beautiful smile back at him. At that moment, with her blonde hair and stunning smile, she reminded him so much of Jess that his heart fluttered.  
"Nice to meet you", Courtney said, smiling and showing off perfect white teeth. In fact, everything about these girls seemed perfect. Despite them allegedly being out here camping, not a strand of hair on their heads lay wrong. There was an aura of happiness surrounding them that made Sam feel like he'd known this girl for forever, and made him want to keep talking to her for forever. In the back of his head, warning bells went off. How could this girl have such a strong effect on him?  
"Yeah, you too", Sam said hesitantly. Something was wrong with this whole situation, even though he felt strangely attracted the girl.  
"We, um, we should probably keep going", Sam mumbled. He really didn't want to leave, he wanted to stay and talk to Josephina. But that desire to know her was also what made him feel suspicious.  
"Oh, okay," Courtney said, the disappointment in her voice obvious.  
From next to her, Dean threw Sam a glare that said what the hell are you doing.  
"Well, bye, then", Josephina said and stretched out her arms toward Sam as if to hug him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Courtney reaching out toward Dean.  
Feeling it was rude to dismiss it, Sam slowly leaned in, accepting the hug. Strands of Josephina's hair blew into his face and he realized that she smelled amazing. Just like Jess. He felt himself being pulled in by her scent, head turning toward her neck, lips grazing her skin...  
He pulled away with a startle. What just happened?  
"Goodbye", Sam said sharply, needing to get away. He grabbed his brother's arm, hard, and pulled him away from the girls, into the forest. He walked fast, trying to get away from the girls.

"Why the hell did you do that?" Dean questioned when they finally slowed down.

"That was strange", Sam breathed, looking over his shoulder. They were alone again.

"That a girl was actually interested in you? Yeah, that is strange."  
"Not that", Sam said sternly. "The attraction I felt toward her. I know you felt it with Courtney, too."  
"So? They were good-looking girls."  
"Yeah, but it's not just that. She reminded me of..." He hesitated. "Never mind. There was just something off about the whole situation."  
Dean shook his head and muttered something inaudible, but kept walking.

XXX

"There it is", Sam said as the lake was finally visible among the trees.

"Thank God", Dean said.

They walked out into the clearing beside the lake and Dean dropped their bag onto the sand, immediately starting to shuffle through it.  
"So, what's the plan?" Sam asked. "We just wait here until we see something, or what?"  
"Basically", Dean confirmed, finally finding what he was looking for in the bag. Two silver knives. He handed one of them two Sam, who took it and tucked it in behind his belt.  
While Dean sat down comfortably on the ground leaning against a nearby tree, Sam bent down and felt the water with his hand. It was cold, but not freezing.  
"Cold?" Dean asked.  
Sam nodded.  
"Can't believe that Natalie girl was here swimming", Dean said. "She probably froze to death."  
"She disappeared over a month ago, Dean. Back then it was early September, which means warmer water."  
"Yeah yeah, nerd." Dean shook his head.  
"Jerk."  
"Bitch."  
Sam laughed and stood up again.

Then suddenly, he wasn't on his feet anymore. Something blurry crossed his vision right before he was knocked backward, into the water. He barely had time to take a breath before he went under, the cold water surrounding him.

There was something heavy on top of him, a creature, with gray and wrinkled skin and no hair on its slick head. It growled at him, showing off pointy teeth. As Sam squinted through the water, he stared straight into its small, black eyes.

With supernatural speed the creature swam, pulling them both deeper down in the water and further away from land.  
Suddenly, Sam felt a sharp pain in his back from the creature's claws digging into him. He cried out, which turned into a gurgling sound in the water.  
Sam struggled against the creature's hold around his body, and they twisted and rolled over in the water. Already Sam's lungs were aching with the desire to breathe. Finally he was able to reach down to the knife at his side. With movement slowed by the water he pulled the knife out and thrust it into the creature's heart. It shrieked, but didn't let go. Instead he felt its claws dig in deeper, tearing down his back, and he would've screamed if he could. Black spots swam in front of his eyes from lack of oxygen and pain, but he still managed to pull the knife out of the creature's chest and stab it into its brain instead. Immediately, the creature went lip, its grip around him loosening. He slowly pulled its claws out of his back, every movement agonizing as his body screamed for air. He watched the creature sink toward the bottom of the lake for a moment and a small part of him noticed the fish tail that the creature had for a lower body part. And that's when his dazed mind finally pieced it all together and made the connection; he knew what the creature was. And he had to warn Dean.

Sam tried to make his arms and legs move to swim up to the surface, but his body couldn't function properly. The cold water and lack of oxygen numbed and exhausted his limbs, and he only managed a few swim strokes before his body finally shut down and darkness welcomed him.


	3. Ch 3: Home

Dean didn't see anything but a blur. One second his brother was standing in front of him, and the next he was gone, replaced by a loud splash in the water. Something had taken Sam into the lake.  
Dean rushed to his feet and threw off his jacket. Heart beating hard in his chest, he jumped into the water after his brother. Whatever had Sam though was swimming impossibly fast, and Dean had no chance of catching up. He tried his best, but eventually he lost the trail of bubbles they were leaving behind. Frustrated he swam to the surface, taking a few gulps of air and frantically looking around for any sign of where it had taken Sam.

Then he saw it. Rings on the surface of the water, like the ones fish make. But it was far away, very far away.

Dean dove toward it immediately, swimming as fast as he could, limbs aching from the coldness of the water and the strain that his swimming marathon put on them. Still, he forced himself to swim faster, _swim faster._ Sam's life depended on it.

It felt like an eternity when he finally saw a dark shape in the water. As he got closer he recognized it as Sam, his brother's long hair swaying in the water. And Sam was alone. There was no sign of the creature. But Dean didn't have time to find relief in that, because Sam, he wasn't moving, his arms floating lifelessly above him.  
Dean quickly swam behind him to grab him, only to fund his back completely covered in blood. The water around him was stained deep red.

Dean swore silently, wrapping one arm around Sam's chest and kicking his feet, using his other arm to swim upward. As they finally pierced through the surface, Dean coughed and gasped for air, his lungs and throat burning. Sam on the other hand did not, which Dean recognized as a bad sign. Sam wasn't breathing.  
As fast as he could, Dean swam them both back to the shore. He pulled Sam up on land, breathing heavily, and fell to his knees next to his brother. He ignored his shaking arms as his fingers fumbled over Sam's neck to check his vitals, using his other hand to push Sam's long hair out his face.  
"Sam?" Dean said, voice breaking. Panic welled up in him, as he couldn't feel even the weakest pulse.  
He tried his best to to swallow the fear, placing both hands on Sam's chest and starting compressions.  
"Come on, Sammy, c'mon..." he mumbled, pressing down hard. His eyes swept over Sam's closed eyes and blue lips. He looked… dead.  
"No", Dean said, shaking his head. "Sammy! Come on, Sam."  
And then finally, _finally_ , Sam choked and started coughing up water, eyes fluttering open. Dean exhaled with relief, helping his brother roll over to the side to help him breathe.  
"That's it, Sam", Dean said, patting his brother gently on the back. "Breathe. Just breathe, Sam."  
Sam kept coughing for a while until he rolled onto his back again, groaning with pain and wheezing as he drew in deep breaths.  
"It's okay," said Dean as he put one hand on his brother's a shoulder, "you're okay."  
Sam's eyes suddenly widened in panic as he became aware of his surroundings again, his hand fumbling to grab Dean's shirt but being to weak.  
"Dean", Sam croaked. "Dean, w-we have to get out of he-here. T-that creature, there... There are m-more. P-please, Dean, we gotta g-go..."  
"Okay, alright, Sam", Dean said, softly. "Calm down. We'll go."  
Dean helped his brother into a sitting position, keeping an arm around his shoulders to hold him upright.  
Sam groaned, grimacing. "Ah, my back..."  
"Yeah, I know. That thing tore you up pretty good. You ready to stand?"  
Sam nodded and swallowed hard. Dean placed Sam's arm around his own neck and slowly stood up, pulling Sam with him. Left on the ground was a dark red patch of blood.  
Sam clenched his jaw as he stood, visibly in pain. Dean could feel his brother trembling next to him- from the coldness and exhaustion, Dean assumed. He picked up his jacket that still lay on the beach and wrapped it gently over Sam's shoulders, careful not to touch his back. The Dean hauled their bag onto his free shoulder and started guiding his little brother back through the forest.

XXX

Walking back through the woods seemed to take forever. Dean had to support most of Sam's weight, and even so, Sam moved very slowly, his jaw constantly clenched in pain. His lips were still blue and Dean could feel Sam shivering. He tried to keep Sam warm with the heat from his own body by staying as close as possible, but it was difficult since he couldn't touch Sam's back.

When they finally got out of the forest and saw the Impala waiting for them by the side of the road where they had left her, Dean breathed out in relief, feeling like he'd held his breath until they got here.  
"See that, little brother?" Dean said with a small laugh. "We're home."  
Sam didn't reply, his head hanging low, like he was having trouble keeping it upright.

"Come on, Sam, let's get you warmed up." Dean walked them over to the car, helping his brother into the passenger seat. Sam immediately leaned forward, keeping his back from touching the seat, and wrapped his arms around himself. Dean hurried to get in the driver's seat, started the car and turned the heat up.  
"Sammy?" Dean said.  
Sam, who'd been staring straight ahead out the window, turned his head to look at his brother with sluggish eyes. Concern clenched around Dean's heart. "Do you need the hospital? We can say it was a... An animal attack, or something."  
Sam shook his head slightly. "'m fine."  
Dean snorted. "You've lost a lot of blood, and you _almost drowned_. You're not fine."  
Sam sighed. "'kay, 'm not. But I will be. I just... need ta'sleep."  
Dean hesitated for another moment, but eventually gave up. He knew Sam would never agree to go to a hospital, he was too stubborn. So Dean pressed down the gas, intent on finding the nearest motel so he could patch his brother up.

XXX

Sam found it surprisingly hard to keep his eyes open. His brother kept reminding him; " _don't fall asleep Sam", "Sammy, stay with me",_ and " _no passing out, alright?"_ but it was a lot easier said than done.

His back stung painfully, every movement like knives through his skin. And he was just _so cold_. He knew that Dean had turned the heat up to max, but he couldn't feel it. His body was numb and shaking, and he wrapped his arms around himself to try to keep steady.  
Too exhausted to hold himself up anymore, he leaned his side against the door, head resting against the window, making sure his back still didn't touch the seat.

Sam could feel his brother throw worried glances at him from time to time, but was too tired to care.  
After a while - Sam couldn't tell how long they'd been driving - the door to Sam's seat suddenly opened. Sam looked up, confused- he hadn't even realized they'd stopped.  
"We're here, Sam", Dean said, looking down at him with furrowed brows.  
Sam gave a nod, slowly moving to get out of the car. His legs felt numb as he stood and a wave of dizziness set in as a protest against the sudden movement. Luckily, Dean reached out and wrapped Sam's arm around his neck, effectively preventing Sam from tumbling to the ground.

With Dean carrying most of Sam's weight, they managed to stumble into the motel room – that Dean had somehow managed to rent without Sam noticing – without attracting too much attention. His brother immediately guided Sam to the nearest bed, and then started shuffling through their bag until he fished out the first aid kit.

Dean turned to Sam, holding up the kit. "Alright, Sam. Time to patch you up."

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading! I loved seeing all of your reviews on my last chapters, i'm really grateful for those, it motivates me a lot! So please do keep reviewing. Hope you liked this chapter! xo

To Idreamofivan (guest): Yes, it did take them a couple of hours. Keep in mind that they were completely new to the case, and obviously the police didn't mention anything about where the victims disappeared. The case files are supposed to be pretty long so it takes them a while to read through it and remember all the facts so that they can then piece certain facts together! Thanks for reviewing, I hope you will keep reading and that you enjoy it!


	4. Ch 4: Loneliness

Dean sat down next to his brother on the bed, assessing Sam's injuries. Deciding that the blood loss was their biggest concern, he used a small pair scissors to cut off Sam's already torn-to-pieces-shirt. The fabric, soaked in blood, clung to Sam's back and he hissed as Dean tried to gently peel it away.  
As the cuts in Sam's back were revealed, Dean felt sick to his stomach. There were eight long tares in his back, oozing with dark red blood, and at least two inches deep.  
Dean swallowed hard but picked up a needle and thread from the first aid kit and sterilized it with some alcohol.  
"You ready?" Dean asked his brother.  
Sam nodded, looking away.  
Dean noticed that his brother's palms were clenched into fists in his lap, and realized that Sam was already in a lot of pain, so a couple of stitches probably didn't worry him.  
"Let's do it then", Dean mumbled, pressing the needle into the skin next to the first cut in Sam's back. The tare was ugly, the creature's claws had ripped through his skin unevenly, and so it was difficult to stitch up. Sam flinching in pain with every stitch didn't help much either. Dean kept muttering apologies; he didn't like causing his brother any more pain, but knew that it was a necessary evil.  
When Dean was finally done stitching up the eight long, deep cuts on Sam's back, he guided his brother into the bathroom and placed him on the edge of the bathtub. Sam immediately hunched over, looking like he might pass out any second, but Dean had to clean his wounds before he could let him sleep.  
Dean used the shower to wash away most of the blood from Sam's back, and then wet a towel with anti-bacterial fluid to clean more thoroughly. Sam stiffened as Dean dabbed the towel around his wounds, but didn't make a sound. Then Dean picked up a large roll of bandage and started wrapping it around Sam's back and stomach.  
"Okay, all done", Dean said after a while and threw the bloody towel into the trashcan. "Let's get you to bed."  
Sam, once again, did not reply, but he did get to his feet, swaying dangerously before grabbing the sink for support.  
"Whoa. Easy, Sammy", Dean said, wrapping his brother's arm around his neck again and supported him to the bed. He helped pull of Sam's shoes and lay him down on his side. Sam grimaced, and when Dean tried to pull the cover up over his brother, Sam mumbled "no" and tried to grasp Dean's shirt.  
Dean, I have to..." Sam's eyes were fluttering, like he had trouble keeping them open. "There's something... I have to tell..."  
And with that his eyes closed shut and he fell asleep- or passed out, Dean couldn't tell. He was left wondering what his brother wanted to tell him, but didn't feel the need to wake him up again.

XXX

Sam didn't sleep much that night. He had woken up with a startle a couple of hours after Dean had put him to bed. He'd apparently rolled over in his sleep, because he was lying on his back, searing pain cutting through him.  
Now he was back on his stomach, staring at the darkness outside his window and trying to lie still, because even shifting to lie on his side hurt as the position pulled at the skin on his back.

Dean was fast asleep on the bed next to him, his breathing so loud and deep that he was half-snoring. But Sam couldn't fall back asleep. He was thinking about the creature that had attacked him, and pulled him down under water. That was actually what gave the nature of the creature away, though what made him piece it all together was the fish tail.  
With a sigh, Sam rolled over and sat up slowly in the bed, his back stinging. Dizziness set in and he waited for it to settle before swinging his legs off the bed. Then he started to stand up, pressing his hand against the wall and leaning against it for support as the world spun and nausea kicked in.  
God, blood loss sucked.  
Sam stumbled over to the table and slumped into the chair, swearing under his breath as his back hit the back of the chair. He bit his lip as he waited for the pain to pass, then he opened his computer, squinting against the bright light. The clock in the corner of his screen read 4:38 am.  
He yawned and clicked open a new tab in his web browser. Then he typed in the name of the creature in the search box, intending to find out everything he could about it.

XXX

Dean woke up nearly two hours later, when the clock read 6:27 am. Sam heard him roll over in his bed and groan as he stretched.  
"Sam?" Dean mumbled.  
Sam looked over and saw that Dean had risen onto his elbows in his bed, looking at him with a confused frown.  
"Yeah?"  
"How long you been up?"  
Sam shrugged. "A couple of hours."  
"Couldn't sleep?" Dean asked, eyebrows furrowed in concern.  
Sam shook his head, looking down at his computer again.  
"How you feelin'?"  
"Good", Sam replied automatically.  
Dean rolled over and sat up on the edge of his bed, rubbing his eyes.  
"Yeah, I'll bet", he said, pausing for a yawn. "What you doing?"

"I'm doing research", Sam said. "I figured out what that creature was."  
"Really?" Dean said, getting out of bed and walking over to stand behind Sam, looking at the computer screen.  
"Mermaids?" He said in disbelief.  
"I know what you're thinking, but I'm sure of it, Dean. Everything fits."  
"Everything?"  
"Yes. The way it looked, and why it attacked me."  
Dean sat down on the other side of the table, rubbing a hand across his face. "Alright, tell me. Start from the beginning."  
"Okay, so, I saw it, right? When it took me down. It was shaped like a human with hands and fingers, except it was gray and hairless with sharp teeth- and claws, obviously. But what really gave it away was the fish tail. It didn't have legs."  
Dean raised his eyebrows. "So that's the mermaid part then. But I thought, you know, that mermaids were like really pretty girls, only with fish tails."  
"Yeah", Sam said with a nod. "They are, in a way. When they're on land."  
"So, when they get in the water, they turn into that ugly thing that you saw?"  
"Exactly. On land they're stunning and charming, all to lure you in." Sam gave his brother a pointed look. "You know those girls we met in the woods?"  
Dean's eyes widened. "They were mermaids."  
"Yeah. I'm guessing Josephina's the one who attacked me, the one I... killed." Sam had mixed feelings about saying that. He'd killed the monster, the evil creature, he knew that. But thinking about stabbing that beautiful girl from the forest... That felt weird.  
"So, is that why you were in such a hurry to get away from the lake? You knew that Courtn- the other one, was around, coming for me?"  
Sam nodded. "And I'd read somewhere that they always travel in packs. They are lonely creatures. And that leads us to the reason she attacked me."  
"Because she was lonely?" Dean said.  
"Yes. Mermaids take humans down into the water, pulls them deep down and drown them. That way, their soul is kept under water and can't move on, stuck to the rotting corpse. And that's how new mermaids are created."  
Dean leaned back with an overwhelmed look on his face. "So they were gonna turn you into a mer- ... man?"  
"I guess", Sam said with a shrug. "Luckily, I got away though."  
"Yeah," Dean snorted, "barely."  
He crossed his arms. "So how does this connect to the missing girls?"  
"Well, my theory is... You know, they found that girl, Sophie, at the bottom of the lake?"  
Dean nodded, realization in his eyes. "You think the mermaids pulled her down?"  
"Yeah, and probably the other girls too." Sam said, and then he suddenly frowned, moving to get out of his chair but grimacing at the pain in his back. "Can you hand me the case files on Mona Thorne and Amanda Hibbing?"  
Dean got up with no questions asked and handed over the files. Sam shuffled through the pages until he found what he was looking for. "Huh."  
"What is it?"  
Sam gave him a sad smile. "I knew I recognized her. That girl, 'Josephina'?" Sam quoted with his fingers. "Her name wasn't Josephina. It was Amanda Hibbing."  
Dean made a sour face. "And let me guess, Courtney wasn't Courtney, but Mona Thorne?"  
Sam nodded, a sad, small smile on his face. He showed Dean the page in Mona's file, which contained a picture of a brunette with perfect teeth.  
"Son of a bitch", Dean said, pressing his lips together. "Well, I guess we know now that those missing girls aren't alive. We can't save them."  
"No", Sam said quietly. "But we can save other girls from the same fate. We need to get out there again, and gank the other mermaid."  
Sam rose out of his chair, grimacing in pain. The world spun again and he grabbed the edge of the table to not fall over.  
"Whoa, hey", Dean protested, rising to support his brother. "We can't go now, you're obviously not well enough. You need to get your strength back first."  
Sam shook his head, jaw clenched. "We can't, Dean. The longer we wait, the bigger the chance that more people are taken and drowned."  
"Sam", Dean said sternly, grabbing his brother by the shoulders. "You go now; it's suicide. And I won't let you do that to yourself. Just wait a day, okay? The people in this town will survive for another 24 hours."  
Sam hesitated, but the stubborn look on Dean's face finally convinced him, along with the protests from Sam's back. He slumped into the chair again.

"Fine."

* * *

A/N: This one was pretty long, huh. This was kind of the lore chapter, so now you know a lot about the monster that they're hunting. But not all of it… Moahahah.

Please continue to review, I'm very grateful for your opinions and support! Thank you all for reading! I'm gonna keep updating as often as possible.


	5. Ch 5: Recovery

They spent the rest of the day watching TV and eating take out.

Some time during the day, Dean disappeared to get them some food, and came back with burgers and _medicine_.  
"Merry Christmas", Dean said, throwing a bottle of pills at him.

Sam caught it and sat up further in his bed, body twisted so that his side was against the pillow. He tried to ignore the stinging in his back and read the etiquette on the bottle, relieved to find they were painkillers.

"Thanks, Dean", Sam said, downing a couple of pills immediately. He couldn't wait for them to start working.

Dean grinned at his brother's excitement and handed him an enormous burger.

Sam raised his eyebrows as he grabbed it. "You couldn't have gotten me a salad or something?"

"You need the protein, and the iron", Dean said sternly. "Eat your burger."

Sam snorted at his brother, but didn't argue.

He didn't have much of an appetite, in fact his stomach felt rather upset from all the pain his body had to deal with, but he tried to eat as much of his burger as he could, just to avoid making Dean suspicious.  
Thanks to the pain meds, Sam slept a lot better that night. He could lie on his side - although not on his back- without too much discomfort; which helped him sleep since he couldn't really fall asleep when he was forced to lie on his stomach.

XXX

The next day Sam felt both better and worse. He woke up covered in sweat, and sat up carefully in his bed. He was relieved to find that the pain in his back didn't feel like there were knives cutting through him anymore, but it was throbbing and aching instead. He didn't think that was a good sign, but it was definitely a lot easier to deal with that kind of pain.

The door to the bathroom suddenly opened and closed, but Sam barely noticed. He was too caught up in his own thoughts.  
"You okay?" Dean asked as he found Sam sitting in his bed, staring out the window.

His words brought Sam back to reality with a jerk, and he turned his head to look at his brother. A small part of Sam's mind noticed that, surprisingly, Dean must've woken up a lot earlier than Sam, if he'd had the time to shower. That was unusual.

"Yeah, I'm good", Sam said, voice raw from sleep. "Just a little warm."

Dean frowned and walked over to his brother. "You might be running a fever. Let me feel."

He placed the back of his hand against Sam's forehead, which was prickled with sweat, and his jaw clenched.

"Yeah, you definitely have a fever, Sam", said Dean. "No wonder you slept like a baby for so long."

Sam frowned at his brother's comment. "What time is it?"

"It's half past one, Sam."

"What?" The reality of their situation suddenly hit Sam hard, and his eyes widened as he remembered what they should be doing. "Dean, what about the case!"

He tried to get out of his bed, but immediately got dizzy and slumped back onto the bed.

Dean put a hand on his shoulder to keep him down. "Calm down, Sam. We still have time."

Sam grimaced; the thought of more people drowning while he was sleeping through the day made him feel sick. "No, Dean. We gotta go. Please."

"Sam, don't be stupid. You might have an infection. You can't go."

"Yes, _I can_ ", Sam insisted, batting away his brother's arm.  
He rose from the bed, forcing his body to stand. The world spun and he hunched over, but managed to keep his balance. He grit his teeth as his back protested against the movement.  
A strong arm suddenly wrapped around his shoulders, Dean's other hand on his chest, helping him straighten up again.

"How's your pain?" Dean asked.

"I'm fine", Sam said through clenched teeth. "Let's go."

Dean glared at him, clearly not believing it, but Sam refused to fold. He'd given Dean his 24 hours.  
Finally, his big brother gave up with a sigh, rubbing a hand across his face, muttering something about _gonna get yourself killed._

"Okay, we'll go", Dean said. "But you have to let me help you, alright?"

Sam nodded, muttering; "fine."

He started moving toward the door, but Dean placed a hand on his arm to stop him. Then he dangled the bottle of pain killers in front of him with a pointed look on his face, meaning that he wouldn't let Sam leave before downing a couple of pills.

Sam sighed, but didn't argue. He took the bottle and poured a couple of pills into his hand before bringing them to his mouth and swallowing them.

"Happy?"

Dean grinned but didn't reply. "Can you walk on your own?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

It wasn't entirely a lie. Sam could walk without his brother's support, but his legs felt weak, which resulted in him walking a lot slower. He also had to press his hand to the wall for support from time to time, as his body wasn't up to the exercise and sent waves of dizziness through his head. But then Dean was there, an arm around his shoulders, helping him get going again until the lightheadedness passed.

After a while, they finally made it to the car. Sam sank into the passenger seat, keeping his back off of the seat.

XXXX

Dean understood from the way Sam was acting that he was going to go out there no matter what Dean said or did. There was no point in forcing Sam to stay behind; he'd just go on his own anyway and get himself more hurt in the process. So instead, Dean decided to be there for his little brother and make sure he was all right - well, as much as he could be considering the circumstances- and protect him, like he'd always done.  
The only condition on which he allowed Sam to come with into the forest was if he took his pain meds despite his weak claims about being fine.

The walk to the impala was painful, for both him and Sam. Dean felt bad watching his brother struggle against the dizziness and pain. He was frustrated that he couldn't and that Sam wouldn't let him help. But Dean tried to be there for support whenever his brother needed it.

He was relieved when they finally made it to the Impala. Dean got in the driver's seat and turned the engine on, glancing over at Sam who carefully kept his back off of the seat.

"Try to get some rest", Dean suggested. "It'll take us a few hours to drive out there."

Sam nodded, leaning his side against the door, but his eyes stayed open and firmly planted on the road.

Dean sighed, but started driving away. He remembered the way to the forest pretty well, even though the last time he drove it he'd been too caught up with watching his brother that he'd barely paid attention to the road.  
He parked the car close to where he did last time, since they kind of knew where to go from there.

"Alright, we're here", said Dean, looking over to his brother.

Sam looked like he hadn't so much as shifted since they started driving. Now he just nodded at his older brother, looking pale, and opened the door to get out of the car.

Dean felt concern grow in him. He knew Sam never should've come; he was too weak. But, being a trooper, he'd never admit that to Dean nor to himself, and Dean was very aware that it could easily get Sam killed.

* * *

A/N: Sorry that it took me so long to update! I've been very busy these last couple of weeks. Hope you liked this chapter! Please leave a review telling me what you thought!

To Stephanie (guest): Yes, I am going to continue that story all the way through the book. I'm currently working on those chapters but it's a lot harder and takes a lot longer to write since I have to follow the book and make what happens believable and make sure it fits in. Thanks for asking, I hope you don't give up on me.


	6. Ch 6: Stranger

After walking through the forest for about ten minutes, constantly on guard, Sam was exhausted. Dean noticed by the way his brother was walking; almost dragging his feet after him, head lolling forward, and using trees and branches for support.

Without saying anything, Dean walked up next to his brother and wrapped Sam's arm around his neck, carrying some of his weight. Sam nodded a thank you, but his jaw was still clenched in pain. Dean guessed that the painkillers were wearing off, and cursed himself for not bringing the bottle with him.

Dean's right arm was now supporting Sam, which decreased his mobility. Instead of holding his gun in the right hand like he was used to, Dean now held it in his left, slightly stretched out in front of him and at the ready.

Sam was equipped with a silver knife in his right hand for protection, although Dean wasn't sure he'd be strong enough to use it.

Suddenly, Dean heard something in the distance, and stopped abruptly. Sam lifted his head to look at him, confused, and then started looking around as he heard it too. It sounded like… sobs. Like someone was sobbing.

Dean started walking again, faster this time. Sam had a hard time stumbling along, but he kept up without complains.

Dean's heart was beating fast. What if the sobs were coming from another girl being attacked or taken?

As they got closer to the source of the sound, the sobbing turned into wailing sounds, filled with so much sorrow and desperation that it gave Dean shivers. Sam gulped slightly beside him, clearly affected too.

Suddenly, as they kept walking, a girl appeared in front of them. She was sitting on a tree stump, head in her hands, shoulders shaking. The wailing sound was coming from her.

"Hello? Excuse me, miss-" Dean started saying.

The girl jerked her head up as he spoke, and when her hair fell out of her face, Dean immediately recognized her; Courtney. Or, rather, Mona Thorne.

Dean took a step back in surprise, not prepared to find her so quickly, but reacted fast. He left Sam to lean against a tree and aimed his gun at the mermaid.

Dean knew he had to shoot. She was a monster. But… she didn't look like a monster. She looked like a girl- a human. Pulling the trigger on her was a lot harder than Dean had anticipated.

Mona ignored the weapon pointed at her. Her face was contorted with grief, tears streaming down her face.

"You killed her!" she wailed, pointing at Sam. "She was my friend! You killed her!"

Sam looked surprised, and confused. "She… she attacked me."

Mona shot up from the tree stump, slowly moving toward Sam.

"She just wanted a new friend!" Mona hissed, her voice turning darker. "And you _killed her for it!"_

 _Click-click._ Dean charged his gun. "Stop. Don't come any closer", he warned.

Once again, Mona ignored him, and kept walking toward Sam. "You killed her. You did it. You have to pay for it. _You killed my friend…"_

Sam held out his knife weakly in front of him as Mona got closer, his eyes weary.

With a hiss, Mona's face shifted in color, from human to sickly gray, and her eyes turned into black pits. Her mouth opened to reveal sharp teeth and she stretched out clawed hands towards Sam, who flinched, probably remembering the ones that dug into his back.

"Don't!" Dean yelled, his finger on the trigger.

He wouldn't let her have Sam. It was easier to shoot now, when she didn't look human. He could do it. He was going to do it…

"Wait!" a new voice suddenly called out.

They all turned to the left, toward the newcomer who hurried toward them through the forest. She was a black-haired girl, carrying a backpack and a knife in her belt.

Dean threw an anxious glance back at his brother and Mona. Luckily, she was distracted and had turned away from Sam. She had shifted into looking human again, but still hissed at the stranger.

"Don't shoot her, please", the new girl begged Dean.

As she got closer to them, she held up her hands above her head. In one of them, she held a gun, but she wasn't aiming it.

"Who are you?" Dean asked cautiously, torn between pointing the gun at her and keeping it on Mona.

"My name is Katya Thorne. That girl right there," Katya gestured toward Mona, "she's my sister."

"Not… anymore", Sam said hesitantly, voice raspy.

"Look, I know she's a mermaid", Katya said. "A monster, even. But just wait, okay. Don't kill her."

Dean frowned. " _Wait?_ She and her… mermaid friends, they're killing people! Drowning them. We have to stop her."

"Yes, I know that she has to be stopped", Katya argued, "but there's another way. You don't have to kill her."

Dean hesitated.

That's when he heard Mona growl behind them. She had apparently decided that the new girl wasn't a threat and focused on Sam again, baring her teeth at him. Sam stumbled backward and tripped on a root, landing on his back. He groaned in pain.

Dean rushed forward to get in between Mona and his little brother. He pointed his gun straight at the monster's face and this time she actually recoiled, cringing away from the barrel. His finger brushed against the trigger...

" _I'll kill him!"_

Dean spun around as Katya shouted at him, her voice coming from behind, but kept his gun aimed in Mona's direction.

Katya stood with one arm wrapped around Sam's throat- which Dean guessed was the only thing keeping Sam up- and her gun pointed at his head.

A tear fell down her face. "I'm sorry", she cried. "I don't want to. But she… she's my sister. I'm begging you, please, don't shoot her."

Dean's thoughts were racing. Mona would kill Sam- would kill all of them, if he let her go, he was sure of it. But he couldn't let Katya kill Sam.

"I don't want to have to shoot him", Katya begged, clearly desperate. "I'm a hunter too, just like you. Just… put the gun down, please, and I'll let him go."

Sam was gasping for air, hands clawing at the arm wrapped around his throat.

" _Please!_ " Katya sobbed and, _click-click,_ charged the gun she held at his brother's head.

Panic flared up in Dean. "Okay, alright, don't!"

He lowered his gun and held up his other hand to stop her from shooting.

"Put your gun on the ground, please", Katya said, voice shaking.

Dean did as she said.

"Now kick it over to me."

Dean swore to himself but obeyed. As soon as the gun landed in front of her she picked it up and let Sam go.

Sam immediately slumped to the ground, sinking to his knees and swaying dangerously. Dean rushed forward, catching his brother.

"Sam, you okay?" he said, one hand curled in Sam's jacket and the other on his neck, tilting his face up so he could look at him. Sam's eyes fluttered close, and he didn't reply. Dean's heart started racing and he quickly felt for a pulse, relieved when he found it, weak but steady.

Behind them, Dean suddenly heard another hiss and turned his head just to see Mona lunging at them, her face monstrous again. But before she could reach them, Katya stepped in the way, blowing some kind of powder from her hand into the mermaid's face. Immediately, Mona's eyes rolled back and she fell to the ground, limp.

Katya turned toward Dean, her eyes on Sam. "Is he okay?"

Dean raised his eyebrows. "You care?"

"Of course", she said, sounding hurt. "I… I didn't do anything to him, I swear."

Dean sighed. "I know", he muttered. "He was already hurt."

"On a case?"

"This case, actually."

Katya's face grew paler, glancing over at Mona's fallen body. "Not... She didn't…"

Dean shook his head. "No, it wasn't Mona. It was her 'friend'."

"Amanda?" Katya breathed. "And she… She's dead?"

Dean nodded. "I'm sorry."

"Damn", Katya whispered.

"She wasn't human, not anymore", Dean said. "Neither is Mona. So why the hell wouldn't you let me gank her?"

Katya flinched at his harsh words. "Because she's my _sister!_ And I'm not giving up! I know they're not themselves at the moment, but there's still a piece of who they used to be in there, I know it."

"How?" Dean said, skeptical. "How do you _know_ that?"

"Because", Katya said simply, "there's a way to cure them."

* * *

A/N: My gosh, guys, I'm totally blown away by the support I'm getting for this story! Thank you all so much! I really hope you liked this chapter, I put a lot of effort into it. And another piece of the puzzle is starting to come together now! Yay!

Remember to leave a review please, it means a lot!


	7. Ch 7: Forgotten

Katya's words confused him.

There was a way to actually cure the mermaids? To save the girls that had been drowned?

There were so many questions Dean wanted to ask, but he knew they had to wait as Sam's weight pressed down on him, a constant reminder that they didn't have all the time in the world.

"Look, I have to take my brother back and make sure he's okay", Dean said. "Think you can come with and explain all of… this?" He gestured toward Mona.

Katya's expression turned thoughtful for a moment, but the she nodded. "Yeah, okay."

She looked down at her hands, a gun in each, before offering Dean's back to him.

He took it, surprised. "Thanks."

She gave him a small smile. "I want you to be able to trust me."

Dean nodded. He rose to his feet, pulling Sam's body over his shoulder, and stumbled under the weight. He realized that carrying his over-6-feet-tall brother all the way back to the car would be a bitch.

Beside him, Katya bent down and threw Mona's body over her own shoulder.

"Is it far?" she said through clenched teeth as they started walking, clearly strained by her own heavy load.

"Fifteen minutes, maybe", Dean replied.

Katya didn't comment or that. He threw and eye at her.

"So what was that you blew in her face that made her go all… sleeping beauty?"

Katya laughed. "It was salt."

"Salt?"

"Yeah", she said, starting to sound a little out of breath. "You know that mermaids are created from their souls lingering after they've drowned?"

Dean nodded. That much he knew.

"So, like with the other soul-lingering-creature," Katya continued, "also known as ghosts… salt repels them."

 _Of course._ It was too obvious.

"How did you know to do that?" Dean asked.

Katya's eyes suddenly turned sad. "I've been on this case for… a very long time. Ever since she disappeared."

Dean didn't have to ask to know that by _she,_ Katya was referring to her sister.

"So, I hope you understand," Katya said, "that after finally figuring out how to cure them, I couldn't just let you kill her."

"Yeah, I guess I get it." That might've been a slight understatement, because hell, Dean understood more than well. If it'd been Sam… he would've done exactly the same thing.

XXXX

After walking almost halfway back to the car, Dean felt like his arms would literally fall off. He told Katya that they could stop for a while and gently put Sam down against a tree, turning him slightly so that his back wasn't pressed against it. Sam was out cold, so he probably couldn't feel anything right now, but if he woke up Dean didn't want him in any more pain.

Katya put Mona down on the ground and pulled out a water bottle from her backpack. She took a few sips before offering it to Dean, who hesitated only for a brief moment before accepting it. The cold water felt amazing running down his throat.

"Hey, look", Katya said quietly, nodding toward where he'd put Sam down.

He turned to find that his brother was moving slightly, eyelids fluttering.

Dean returned the water bottle to Katya before crouching next to Sam, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Sam?" he said. "Can you hear me?"

Sam squeezed his eyes together before finally opening them, and squinted up against his brother. "Dean?"

Dean nodded, relieved that his brother was awake. "Welcome back."

"What happened?" Sam asked, confused. He straightened to look around, flinching in pain as he moved. His eyes widened as they fell upon Katya.

"It's okay, we can trust her", Dean assured him. "She saved our asses by knocking Mona out with some salt."

"She… also held a gun to my head", Sam said hesitantly.

"That's true, but she didn't mean to hurt you. She just wants to cure her sister."

"Cure her?" Sam repeated, frowning.

"Yes", Katya replied. "I know how to cure mermaids."

She crouched down next to Dean, extending her water bottle to Sam. Sam looked at it, then up at his brother, unsure. Dean nodded reassuringly, so Sam took the bottle and gave Katya a weak smile as a thank you.

"You said Mona was knocked out by _salt_?" Sam said as he finished drinking. "How does that work?"

"Just like with ghosts", Katya replied, smiling.

Sam raised his eyebrows in understanding, a look on his face that said _not bad._

"Listen, we have to get back to the car", Dean told Sam. "Think you can help me get you over there?"

Sam nodded. "I can walk."

"Yeah, right. I'm sure you can barely stand", Dean snorted. "I just meant that if you could carry some of your own weight, that would help a lot. I think my arms will fall of if I have to carry you any longer."

Sam rolled his eyes, but nodded again, so Dean wrapped his brother's arm around his neck. "You ready? One, two… three."

He stood up and Sam followed, grimacing in pain, but he did his best to carry some of his own weight.

Katya picked Mona up beside them and they started walking through the forest again, slow paced. Dean suddenly noticed that Sam was frowning, looking around the forest with a confused look on his face.

"Sam?" Dean said. "What is it?"

"I don't know", Sam mumbled. "I just… feel like we're forgetting something."

Dean frowned, checking to see that his weapons were all in place. They were.

"Look, man, you're still a little out of it", he said. "It's probably nothing."

Sam's furrowed his brows, but shrugged. "Yeah, you're probably right."

They walked in silence for a while, Sam's weight becoming heavier as he grew tired and needed more support.

"So, Katya... what's your story?" Sam suddenly asked, breathless. "What happened to… your sister?"

Katya pressed her lips together. "It was an accident. Mona was out by the lake with Tyler, her boyfriend, but he didn't see it happen. He said he left her fishing by the water to take a pee and when he came back, she was just gone, her fishing rod floating on the water. Tyler jumped in to look for her but couldn't find anything, so he contacted the police. By the time they'd searched through the lake though, Mona had already been turned, and so her body was gone. Of course, we didn't know then what had happened to her. I thought she was dead."

"I'm sorry", Sam mumbled. "That's horrible."

"But how'd you know what she was?" Dean said. "How'd you get into hunting?"

"Like I said, we all thought she was dead. But I… I couldn't accept it", Katya explained. "Mona wasn't just my sister; she was my best friend. So I kept going out to the lake, looking for a sign- looking for anything. And one day, I found one. I saw her. Hiding behind a tree, I watched her transform from enhanced beauty to a hideous monster, diving into the lake. I couldn't believe my eyes- I didn't know what to think."

"That's how you got into hunting?" Sam asked. "Losing someone you loved?"

Dean heard the sorrow in his voice and knew that Sam recognized their own family tragedy in her story. After all, their mother being killed was what got their father and in turn themselves into hunting.

Katya nodded. "Yeah. I spent months looking through lore to find out what she was, and in the meantime, I came across all sorts of monsters. Demons, vampires, shape-shifters… even mermaids. I found out they were all real. Even killed a couple of them. Of course, I didn't tell my family about any of it. They still believe Mona's dead, and they still believe monster's don't exist." She sighed. "Lucky them."

"Yeah, well, that was probably for the best", Dean said quietly..

Everyone he'd ever known and loved, the whole hunting business had gotten them all killed. His mom, dad, Bobby, Charlie- even Sam, several times. The list was endless.

"So what about you guys?" Katya asked after clearing her throat, undoubtedly trying to suppress her emotions. "How'd you get into hunting?"

"That is one long, ugly-ass story", Dean said. "You probably don't want t-"

He paused as he saw something blurry cross the corner of his eye. Katya suddenly yelped as she was thrown into a tree, landing unconscious by its roots. Mona's body slumped to the ground where Katya had just been standing, and in front of her stood a creature, with the body of a girl but a slick, gray head and sharp pointed teeth. With a growl it lunged at Dean, and in the blink of an eye, he was knocked to the ground.

* * *

A/N: Oo, some action heading your way guys! You think they're gonna get out of this alive? Heheh…

Hope you liked this chapter, please leave a review as usual telling me what you thought. Good or bad, I wanna hear it! Thanks for reading guys!


	8. Ch 8: The 4th wave

" _So what about you guys?" Katya asked. "How'd you get into hunting?"_

" _That is one long, ugly-ass story", Dean replied. "You probably don't want t-"_

Sam watched as Katya was suddenly thrown into the trunk of a tree by something moving so fast that it appeared only as a blur. She passed out from the blow, sinking to the ground.

In a heartbeat the creature that had attacked her was in front of him and his brother, knocking Dean to the ground from under his arm. With his support gone he stumbled backwards, falling to his knees as the world spun.

The creature was now on top of his big brother, who'd been taken by surprise and had no weapon to defend himself with. Blinking through his blurred vision, Sam recognized its features as the ones of a mermaid, and felt something click in his head.

That was what they had forgotten. That there was one more missing girl- _one more mermaid_ , out here.

Dean was struggling to keep the knife-sharp teeth away from his throat, groaning at the effort of pushing the creature's head away from him. Sam could see that he was losing though, strength fading, and the creature getting closer.

Panic flared up inside Sam and he knew that he had to do something, quick, or his brother would die.

His back felt like it was practically on fire but he fought to rise to his feet anyway, fumbling to get his knife out from behind his belt only to realize that it was gone. With ice-cold fear coursing through him, he realized that he must've dropped it during the showdown with Mona.

Frantically he searched the ground for any kind of weapon until he saw it; a knife! Right beside Mona's unconscious body. It wasn't his knife, so he guessed that Katya had dropped it when she was attacked.

He staggered over to it, gripping it hard in his shaking hands, and hurried over to where his brother was still wrestling the creature. It had gotten a chokehold around Dean's throat, and he was fading fast.

As Sam got closer the mermaid turned its head to hiss at him. He tried to ignore the bottom-less black eyes that were piercing through him and thrust his knife towards its back. With a disgusting, wet sound, the blade pierced through its gray, thick skin. The mermaid gave a horrific shriek as it stiffened and started clawing at it's back to get the knife out.

Dean was coughing and struggling for air as he could finally breathe again, and managed to shove the mermaid off of him.

"It's not dead!" Dean croaked, stumbling to his feet, a hand on his bruised neck.  
Sam shook his head. "I know. Get the salt!"

Dean blinked at him for a second, confused, before realization filled his eyes. He turned and ran over to Katya's dropped bag, shuffling through it. Sam kept his eyes on the mermaid, which had finally gotten the knife out and was now getting to its feet again.

"Dean, hurry!" Sam called out, backing away from the mermaid.

Just as the creature was about to attack, Dean returned with a handful of salt that he threw in the mermaid's face. It slumped to the ground immediately, face shifting back into the one of a human girl, one that Sam recognized.

"Natalie Eden", he said sadly, looking down at her limp body.

All of the energy suddenly drained from his body and he sank to the ground.

"You okay?" Dean asked him, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"Yeah", Sam lied. His back was killing him. "I'll be fine, I just need to rest for a little."

Dean nodded. "Well, thanks for having my back. I guess you proved me wrong for thinking you were too weak to come."

Sam snorted at his brother's half-rude thank you, but decided that it was as good as it was going to get. "No problem."

Dean grimaced as he removed his hand from his neck. It was stained with blood.

"Are _you_ okay?" Sam said, frowning.

"Stupid thing dug its claws into my neck", Dean muttered. "I'm good. It'll heal."

He walked up to Natalie's body and felt her neck for a pulse. "Can't believe it's still alive", he said. "But you knew it wouldn't kill her, right?"

"Yeah, apparently only stabbing it in its head actually kills it", Sam said. He'd found that out the hard way. "I guess it's 'cause their bodies are already technically dead."

Dean raised his eyebrows. "That whole dead-but-not-dead-and-still-not-a-zombie thing is way too complicated for me."

Sam laughed a little.

"You should go check on Katya", he said.  
"No need", came Katya's mumbling voice. Sam looked over and saw her grimace as she touched the back of her head. She rose to her feet by using the tree for support.

"What happened?" she asked as she stumbled over to them. Her eyes fell upon Natalie's body. "You didn't…"

"She's not dead", Dean said. "We used the salt."

A look of relief crossed her face. "Thank you."  
"Don't thank me, Sam's the one who thought of it."

Katya turned toward where Sam was sitting on the ground. "Well, thank you, Sam, for not going straight to killing."

Sam shrugged.

"Killing her just didn't seem like the right thing to do." His eyes turned heavy. "Especially after Amanda. Knowing there's a cure… I wish I hadn't killed her."

"Sam", Dean said sternly. "You didn't know. It was self-defense, you or her; and she got damn close to killing you first."  
"Uh, hate to interrupt," Katya said, "but we should probably get going. "  
She gestured toward Mona, who was starting to move slightly on the ground.

Katya hurried to her bag to get some more salt, which she dropped into Mona's mouth.  
"What do we do about Natalie?" Sam asked. "I'm sorry, but I'm not exactly in shape to be carrying her…"

"We'll leave her here", said Dean. "Let's tie her up against a tree."

"She'll easily break out of those when she wakes up", Katya argued.

"Use a gag", Sam suggested. "Fill it with salt, so she keeps breathing it in. That'll keep her unconscious, right?"

"Yeah, it should", Katya said, looking impressed. "Good idea."

* * *

A/N: I'm currently away from home with no wifi and spending time with relatives, so I won't be able to write much these next couple of weeks. Sorry in advance for lack of updates, but I hope you'll stick with me, I've got a lot of good stuff planned for this story!


	9. Ch 9: Losing

**A/N: Before we start, I just wanted to give a special thanks to SpnKsl15 and Noxbait for their lovely reviews, you guys are wonderful!**

* * *

Sam stayed on the ground while Katya and Dean tied Natalie against a tree and poured salt in a piece of fabric and used it as a gag.

Sam's legs felt incredibly weak and there was a weird tingling sensation in his hands, almost like they were falling asleep. And his back was of course still burning and stinging, the right side more than the left.

Sam rubbed his hands together to try and wake them up.

When Dean and Katya were done with the mermaid, Katya went to pick up her bag and Mona while Dean grabbed Sam's arm with one hand and put another on his back, helping him stand.

"You good?" Dean asked as Sam swayed on unsteady feet as the world spun.

Sam nodded despite himself, clenching his teeth. "I'll be fine", he mumbled.

Dean removed his hand from Sam's back so that he could support his little brother better, and they were both surprised to find that his hand came away bloody.

Dean's jaw clenched and he turned Sam abruptly to get a good look at his back.

He swore quietly. "You must've torn your stitches, you're bleeding like crazy."

Oh. Well, that did explain Sam's tingling hands; blood loss could do that to you.

"Let's get back to the car", Dean muttered.

Sam nodded and wrapped his arm around Dean's neck.

He didn't know how long he'd been bleeding, but his legs felt like spaghetti, he was constantly dizzy and he felt slightly nauseous, which suggested to his dazed mind that he'd been bleeding out for a while.

As they walked he felt his head grow heavier, and it got harder to keep his eyes open. Black spots were dancing in front of him, begging him to close his eyes so that they could rest. He fought it the best he could.

Then, for a moment, he experienced the weird sensation that his mind lifted from the rest of his body and was floating away, while his body remained on the ground, heavy and numb. And that's when he knew that he was going to pass out.

"Dean", he managed to mumble before stopping as his legs gave out under him.

"Whoa", Dean said, catching him. "Sam?"

Sam suddenly felt himself sinking to the ground, and he didn't have the strength to reply as his vision darkened and he blacked out.

XXX

They were only a couple of minutes away from the Impala when Sam passed out. He'd stopped abruptly and drawn Dean's attention by saying his name, so that Dean had time to catch his little brother just as his knees gave out, and lowered him onto the ground. Sam's eyes fluttered close and Dean was left staring at his baby brother's pale, unmoving face. Which wasn't very comforting.

"Is he..." Katya's voice came from behind him.

"He's out", Dean said, bending down to lift his brother up and gently throw him over his shoulder. Again, he stumbled under the weight, but grit his teeth.

"He's bleeding out", Dean explained as they started walking, fast-paced this time. "We have to hurry."

"He needs a hospital?" Katya asked, but it sounded more like a statement.

"Yeah, I know", Dean muttered. He didn't know what to do. He didn't want to leave Katya with Mona until she'd told them how to cure the mermaids; he was very aware of the fact that she still hadn't mentioned anything at all about how to do it, meaning that the whole thing could've just been a lie to stop them from killing her sister.

"How about you drop me off at that motel or whatever that you were staying at," Katya suggested, "and I'll wait for you there while you get - erm, Sam, was it? - to the hospital."

Dean eyed the female hunter suspiciously, not trusting her enough to take her word for it.

"Look, I promise I'll be right there," she said, brown eyes pleading with him. "Besides, where would I go? I need your help curing Mona."

That surprised him. "You need our help?"

"Yes", Katya said. "The process... it's complicated. I can't do it alone."

That's when they finally walked out of the forest and saw the Impala waiting for them.

"Is that yours?" Katya asked, eyes wide.

Dean nodded, opening the door to the back seat and laying Sam down across them.

"Sweet", Katya breathed. Dean had to admit that despite the strange circumstances, at least the girl had good taste in cars.

Katya moved toward the door to haul Mona in next to Sam, but Dean put out a hand to stop her.

"Whoa, no. She ain't lying next to my brother."

"What?" Katya frowned. "Then where should I put her?"

Dean guided her around the car and opened the trunk, tapping the bottom expectantly.

"That's inhumane", Katya protested, glaring at Dean.

"Oh, come on, it's... comfy", he said with a grin, but it faded fast. "Besides, she's not human, so..."

Katya sighed, but put her sister down into the trunk and Dean shut the lid. Then they got into their seats in the front and Dean started the engine.

"So, you on board with the plan?" Katya asked as he started driving.

"Well, I don't really have another option", Dean said.

"So... yes?" She smiled.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Yeah."

XXX

 _Beep._

Sam was dreaming about being underwater again. But it was peaceful this time; there was no creature drowning him or tearing his back apart. The sun shone through the water, making it glimmer in different shades of gold. It looked beautiful down here; blue, green and gold mixing together.

 _Beep._

The beeping sound was constantly in the background and, searching for its source, Sam looked down toward the bottom of the lake. The water was darker down there, deep green and dark blue mixing together. Suddenly, Sam saw something move down there; a black, shapeless silhouette. But Sam didn't have to see it any clearer to know that it was one of them.

 _Beep. Beep._

Suddenly, something started to glitter amongst the moving shadow. It wasn't the rays of sun; the light was different, not as golden, but whiter. Sam curiously started swimming closer. It was strange, but he felt no fear for the mermaid. It didn't bother him that the lack of oxygen seemed to be no problem.

 _Beep beep._

As he got closer he could see and touch the sandy bottom of the lake. To his left, among the sea weed, sat a beautiful brunette girl, with a long gray fish tail for a lower body. Mona.  
But Sam didn't focus on that, because beneath him lay a white beaming pearl. It was the source of the white shining light. He picked it up in his hand, gazing at it, wondering what it was doing here.

" _Don't bother_ ", a smooth, female voice suddenly echoed around him. Sam recognized it, and from the back of his mind floated a name; Katya.

 _Beep beep. Beep._

As the voice spoke, the pearl in his palm dissolved into white smoke that faded quickly, and so did the white light. Suddenly it was incredibly dark, and the water felt like it was suffocating him.

 _"You have to cure me"_ , said Katya's voice.

 _Beep beep beep._

Sam squinted through the water and his eyes fell upon Mona-the-mermaid again, and realized that her mouth was moving. She was speaking with Katya's voice.

 _"You have to cure me"_ , she whispered. " _But you have to die to do it. We require a sacrifice..._ "

 _Beep beep. Beep beep._

Her last word echoed through the water, seemed to bounce all around him. Sacrifice... Sacrifice...

Suddenly he noticed that it was impossible to breathe. He tried to swim up to the surface, kicked and swam but his body didn't move. His vision darkened around the edges and Mona's face was the last thing he saw.

 _Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep..._

* * *

A/N: So I managed to get this chapter out despite being wifi-less, hurray for me. Please take a minute to leave a review telling me what you thought. Thanks for reading, guys!


	10. Ch 10: Lies of Omission

Sam woke up with a startle, struggling for air. His lungs were aching and it felt as though he hadn't been breathing for a long time. But that couldn't be true... right? The last thing he remembered was walking through the forest with Dean and Katya, and the lightheadedness that followed.

"Sam?" A familiar voice suddenly said. "You awake?"

Sam tried to open his eyes but they felt incredibly heavy.

"Sammy?" the voice insisted, clearly worried. So Sam kept fighting to open his eyes, which had never been harder. Finally he managed to do it, only to find himself blondes by a bright, cold light. Squinting against it, he could distinguish two blurry silhouettes on his left and right side.

"Dean?" he guessed, blinking the blurry out of his eyes.

"Yeah, Sammy, I'm here."

Relief filled him. Although still disoriented, he knew he was safe with his big brother around.

Sam's eyes gradually grew used to the light and he could finally recognize his big brother sitting to the left of his bed, dark circles under his eyes. He was wearing a concerned frown. "How you feeling?"

"I'm..." Sam hesitated, feeling for any pain or dizziness. He was surprised to fine neither. "I'm actually very good."

Dean shook his head slightly. "You scared me, man."

"What do you mean?" Sam frowned, confused by Dean's comment.

He started looking around the room to find out where he was, so that maybe he could figure how he'd just woken up only a minute ago and he'd already scared his brother. From the bed and white-coat-wearing-guy to his right, he deduced that he was in a hospital room.

"What happened?" he asked.

Dean opened his mouth to reply, but was beat to it by the doctor.

"I'm doctor Gardner", the doctor introduced himself. "Your brother's been telling me that you were attacked by an animal a little while ago. He said he tried to stitch you up himself, but you'd lost too much blood and so he had to bring you in."

While he was talking, Sam suddenly noticed a machine next to his bed. It was monitoring his vitals and heart rate, and with every beat it gave a low but sharp _beep_. Sam frowned. He recognized the sound from somewhere. Even though he couldn't remember from where, it for some reason gave him a bad feeling.

"Your breathing was very shallow and eventually, your heart stopped," dr. Gardner continued to inform him. "We were just barely able to bring you back."

Sam, surprised, looked over at Dean, who nodded grimly as confirmation. At least that explained him having difficulty breathing. Only moments ago, he'd technically died. Why didn't that scare him more? Somehow, it just felt so familiar..

"Wait", Sam said, suddenly remembering the case. If he'd had the time to die and be resuscitated... "How long have we been here?"

Dean's eyes grew weary, probably knowing how Sam would react. "Almost three hours."

Sam felt his eyes widen, suddenly feeling stressed.

"It's fine, Sam", Dean tried to calm him down.

"No, Dean, we have to go."

But his big brother just shook his head, rubbing a hand across his face. "It's too dangerous. You're not strong enough."

The words felt like a slap across his face. "Yes, I am. I'm fine", Sam said, almost defensively.

Dean gave a frustrated sigh. "You're not fine, Sam! You almost died!"

"Mr. Chester, I'm sorry, but it's out of the question", the doctor interrupted. "We've given you morphine and some blood so while you're probably feeling fine, truth is, you're not. Your heart is weak and stained from trying to pump too little blood through your body, which is why it stopped. Too much moving around, too much effort, and you'll grow tired. Eventually, your heart could give up again."

Sam was surprised by how serious it sounded. He could actually die again, from a little blood loss?

"Okay, so... I'll be on bed rest. I won't move at all. My brother here can take care of all the important stuff." He made sure to put emphasis on the last words, giving Dean a pointed look. His big brother knew the mermaid thing couldn't wait.

Dean sighed again, but must've realized that Sam was right, because he nodded and said; "It's true, Doc. I'll take care of him."

Doctor Gardner frowned, clearly not convinced.

"I just need to get home", Sam said. "Please. You can't keep me here."

Now it was the doctor's turn to sigh. "Okay, then", he surrender. "I can't keep you here against your will, but you have to understand that if I discharge you, it's against doctor's recommendations."

Sam nodded. "I understand."

XXX

About an hour later they were both in the Impala again, driving back toward the motel. Sam had brought one bottle of antibiotics and another with painkillers from the hospital, which the doctor had ordered him to take every four hours.

"I don't care that you saved my ass from Natalie, it was stupid and you never should've come!" Dean was arguing with him.

"It wasn't stupid", Sam said calmly. "I knew what I was getting into and I knew I could handle it."

"Handle it?" Dean exclaimed. "You died!"

"My heart stopped for a few minutes", Sam protested. "I didn't die."

"Yeah, well, technically, you did."

"Whatever", Sam muttered. "I'm just glad I could help you out in the forest, that's what mattered to me."

Dean sighed.

"I know. Thanks for that", he said, still sounding slightly annoyed but obviously trying to rise above. "Just... don't ever do that again."

Sam nodded, understanding more than well how his brother felt. "It won't happen again."

"And you gotta be honest with me, man", Dean said. "You repeatedly assured me that you were fine, good to go, and that you could do this, and then your freaking heart stopped."

"I know", Sam mumbled, looking down at his hands. "I'm sorry, and I will."

Dean nodded slightly, staring straight ahead. "Good. Just so we're on the same page."

After a couple of minutes in silence, they finally reached the motel and Dean parked the car outside. Sam easily got out on his own, the blood transfusion having cured his dizziness, and he enjoyed finally being able to move on his own again.

XXX

It was all very strange. How on the day she'd been planning and preparing for for months, two hunters had shown up to kill her sister.

But after spending all that time refusing to give up, searching and digging and scratching away to find something that would give her her sister back, she wouldn't let them shoot her sister dead.

So she'd used one of them against the other, and it just happened to be the one who'd been previously injured. She truly hadn't meant to hurt him, they both seemed like nice guys, but she was desperate.

And unbelievably, it had worked.

They had believed her about the cure, and even trusted her enough to let her come with to their motel room.

That is, after the long hike through the woods during which the long-haired one- she'd caught the name Sam- had struggled with his injuries. She'd felt bad for having used him the way she did since it clearly had weakened him.

Then there she was, sitting alone in a small motel room, with two beds and an unconscious sister.

Not sure about for how much longer Mona would be out, the first thing Katya had done was to shuffle through her bag and fetch a long metal wire. Then she'd tied it around her sister's body, pushing her arms and legs together.

After a while Mona had woken up, but surprisingly, she hadn't struggled to get out of the wires or bared her monster side. She'd just been sad- which was just so very human.

"Katya", she'd pleaded, her voice filled with sorrow. "Kat."

It had hurt to hear her sister call out for her like that, using her nickname, when she wasn't the same as she used to be. Even her voice wasn't the same. It sounded higher now, clearer. Not as raspy and warm as it used to.

"You know who I am?" Katya had asked, kneeling next to her sister on the floor. "You recognize me?"

"Of course", Mona had replied, tears glistening in her eyes. "You're my sister. How can I forget?"

"So you don't... you don't want to kill me?"

Mona had shaken her head and the tears had begun streaming down her face. "I don't want to kill anyone. I just... don't want to be alone. I'm so alone, Kat."

"It's okay", Katya had told her, feeling her own eyes begin to tear up. "It'll be okay, sis. I'm going to help you."

Hours later, Katya was now sitting on the edge of one of the beds. Her sister was sitting on the other, still confined, just to be safe.

The boys were bound to return any moment now, and Katya was surprised to find herself feeling nervous. She had prepared very carefully what she was going to tell them about the cure. There was no reason for them not to believe her- no reason for them to find out the truth.


	11. Ch 11: Consequences

"She should be right in here", Dean said as he and Sam walked up to their motel room door. Sam handed him his key since Dean had given his to Katya. "At least she better be", Dean muttered, unlocking the door. He pushed it open and stepped inside, cautiously looking around.  
Katya was sitting on his bed, a tied-up Mona on the other. She'd kept her promise.  
"Still here, then", he said to Katya.  
She smiled back. "Still here."  
Sam followed his brother into the room and Mona suddenly went crazy. Her dark eyes flashed with anger and she growled at Sam, struggling violently against her restrains.  
Katya shot up from her bed to calm her sister while Dean automatically stepped in front of his little brother, frowning.  
"Mona, calm down", Katya said, putting her hands on her sister's shoulders. "I won't let you kill him."  
"Why not?" She hissed, and her voice didn't sound human. "He killed my family."  
"No, he didn't", Katya tried to reason with her. "I'm your sister- I'm your family."  
Mona blinked, clearly confused.  
Dean was once again struck by how utterly human these creatures were. Sure, they were killing people, which definitely made them monsters in his book. But the reason for it, the emotions that not only drove them to kill but also to love each other enough to consider themselves family... It was just so human.  
"She was my family too", Mona finally growled, glaring at Sam.  
"I know", Sam suddenly said and stepped around Dean so that he could get closer to Mona.  
"Sam", Dean warned. He did not like his little brother being any closer to the creature that wanted to kill him. But Sam ignored him.  
"I know, and I'm sorry", he continued. "Family doesn't always have to be blood- believe me, I know that- and I also know how it feels to lose that family, and to want revenge for their death." Mona eyed Sam suspiciously as he spoke. "And so I'm sorry that I'm the person who caused that, who did that to you. I never wanted that. I'm truly sorry."  
For Dean, Sam's words hit close to home. After the loss of Jess, Sam's search for revenge had literally taken over his life. He'd dropped out of Stanford and given up his "normal" life to start hunting again. And the hatred that they had both felt toward the Yellow Eyed Demon... Dean couldn't find the right words to describe just how deep it ran. But to think that Sam was punishing himself for being that person to Mona, that was wrong, and every big-brother fiber in Dean's body wanted to pull Sam out of that room and talk some sense into him. But now wasn't the time for that, because Mona had calmed at his words. She didn't say anything, but folded her arms underneath the metal wires tying her down and leaned back against the wall. Katya patted her sister on the shoulder, almost proudly, before approaching the brothers.  
"You feeling better?" she asked, turning to Sam.  
"Yeah," Sam replied with a small smile, "I got some O-neg in me and now I'm good to go."  
Her relief seemed sincere as she smiled widely. "I'm glad to hear that. And sorry for, you know... in the woods..."  
"Don't mention it," Sam shook his head. "Hell, I understand more than well."  
Dean snorted; of course he understood why he needed to be held at gunpoint and almost bleed out. "Well, I'm glad we got that over with," Dean said. "Now how about you finally tell us how to cure a frigging mermaid?"  
Katya nodded. "Of course. Well, like I said, after months of research I finally found a way to reverse the mermaid's body back to its alive state, so that it looses its powers."  
She paused, frowning as she looked back at her sister.  
"And that way is?" Sam insisted when she didn't continue.  
Katya swallowed, looking back at the brothers. "We have to dry them out."  
It was quiet for a moment.  
"That's it?" Dean asked. "We keep her away from water and, poof, she turns human again?"  
"Yes", Katya said, looking down at her hands. "But it won't be a nice process."  
Sam moved to sit down on the edge of Dean's bed, rubbing his eyes. "If that's all, then why'd you need our help so bad?" he asked.  
Katya scowled, crossing her arms. "Did you not just hear me? The process of drying out a mermaid... Well, let's just say I've heard it won't be nice. And when it's almost done, she'll be really sick. I mean like close to dying. And then I'll..." She hesitated, biting her lip.  
"You'll what?" Dean asked.  
She shook her head. "Nothing. I was just going to say that I'll probably worry that I'm killing her, but it's just part of the process."  
Dean frowned, but after studying her face for a moment, he let it go. "Okay, well that doesn't sound too bad. Let's do it."  
He looked over to his little brother who nodded, but failed to hide from Dean how extremely tired he looked. Dean was just about to order his brother to rest when a noise like shattering glass rang through the room, and they all spun toward its source. On Sam's bed lay the metal wires that had been tying Mona down only a couple of seconds ago.  
Raising his gaze, Dean's eyes fell upon Mona, who was standing behind the bed. Her face had shifted into that of a monster again, and with a hiss she lunged toward them. Katya stood the closest to her with her back turned, and within seconds Mona had reached her and swiftly pushed her to the side. Katya tumbled into the wall, smacked her head against the side of the night table and remained unmoving on the ground.  
But now the moment of surprise had passed and Mona had lost her advantage. Dean and Sam quickly pulled out their weapons, and this time, Dean didn't hesitate when he fired at her head. But with her supernatural reflexes Mona managed to duck under the bullet and swing a clawed hand toward Dean. He was knocked to the ground by the force, sharp pain cutting through his side. His stomach protested by sending a wave of nausea through him and he gasped.  
Mona charged forward, her eyes locked on Sam.  
Dean groaned as he rolled over to follow her movements, the pain in his side preventing him from getting to his feet again.  
Sam held his ground as Mona attacked, knife held out in front of him. Just as she got close though, he took a long step to the left while she kept going straight. She stumbled to a stop as she realized her target was gone and she'd charged straight into nothing but air. She turned around with a look on her face so confused that Dean would've laughed had the circumstances been different. Then her eyes found Sam again and she bared her teeth viciously. Sam swung his knife at her as she attacked, cutting through flesh, but she barely noticed. Her hands connected with Sam's shoulders and they both tumbled backwards, Sam's side slamming into the edge of the dresser along the wall and he groaned, bending over. Dean forced his body to sit up, knowing that he had to help his little brother, and clenched his teeth against the pain.  
Mona kept her grip around Sam's shoulders and then swung him around like he was no heavier than a fly and slammed him back-first into the floor. Then she dove on top of him, her teeth edging toward his neck as he struggled to keep her away.  
Dean finally got to his feet, a little unsteady, and jerked forward, grabbing the mermaid by its shoulders. He pulled back with all his strength to get the creature off of his brother. Finally it leg go and they both tumbled backwards onto the floor, Dean grunting against the fire in his side.  
Now the creature was on top of him instead, growling, its drool dripping onto his shirt. Then suddenly, a shower of salt rained down on him and Mona slumped to the ground, unconscious. Katya was standing above him, blood trailing down the side of her face.  
Dean slowly got to his feet again, a hand pressed against his injured side, and brushed the saliva off of him. Then he moved toward Sam who still lay on the floor on his back, face twisted in a grimace but clearly trying to breath through the pain.  
"You okay?" Dean asked, stretching his hand out. Sam grabbed it.  
"Yeah", he groaned as Dean helped him stand and then immediately toppled forward. Dean grabbed the front of his brother's shirt to steady him until he straightened up again.  
"You're not okay", he stated, eyes flashing with concern as his little brother remained slightly hunched over.  
Sam just shook his head. "You're bleeding. How bad is it?"  
Dean looked down at his hand that was still covering his side. It was damp with blood.  
"I'll live", he growled. "Don't change the subject."  
Sam sighed. "I'm fine. It's not that bad."  
"Oh, yeah?" Dean said with raised eyebrows. "Then why can't you stand on your own?"  
Sam scowled. "I can, it just...", he hesitated, eyes focusing on something behind Dean's back. "You okay?"  
Dean frowned. Hadn't they already been over this?  
Then he realized that Sam wasn't talking to him, and felt bad for forgetting about the third human in the room. But when it came to Sam, he often had the tendency to forget about everything else.  
"I'm great", Katya replied from behind him, but when Dean turned around he saw her grimace in pain, her back against the wall and head in her hands.  
"You know, this is twice in less than two days you've hit your head pretty hard", Dean told her. "I'd think about taking a trip to the hospital."  
"It's also twice in less than two days I've saved your asses", Katya said with a small grin that faded fast. "I'm okay. You guys look worse."  
Dean snorted. "Thanks."  
Katya shrugged, a small smile playing on her lips.  
Dean looked around the room, eyes falling upon Mona's body. "I think you and your sister should probably get a room of your own," he said, glancing over at Sam, "since it's clear that she's not backing down from Sam any time soon, we can't have her in the same room."  
Katya nodded. "Yeah, I understand."


	12. Ch 12: Only Teardrops

As soon as Katya had rented a motel room of her own and dragged her unconscious sister out of theirs, Dean turned toward where Sam was sitting hunched over on his bed, an arm wrapped around his ribs.

Sam's mind was spinning with the recent events and the information about the cure. Something felt off about it, like something was missing.

"What hurts, Sammy?" Dean asked, eyes flashing with concern.

Sam looked up, his breathing coming in sharp gasps as every breath pressed against his battered side. "You need to... get yourself checked out first. Could be... bad."

"Don't argue with me on this, Sasquatch", Dean said with a scowl. "I'm not the one having trouble breathing. I'll take care of myself after I know you're good. So, what hurts?"

Sam grimaced. "My ribs," he admitted, "and my back."

He was also tired, but he didn't mention that. The exhaustion was explained by the clock on the nightstand which told him it was half past midnight.

"Let me see", Dean said sternly, gesturing for him to turn around. "You better not have torn your stitches again."

Sam twisted on the bed to turn his back toward Dean, wincing at the pain the movement caused and muttered; "that was so not my fault."

Dean snorted before lifting Sam's shirt, examining the bandages. Sam heard his relieved exhale. "No blood."

Dean then pressed his fingers lightly to Sam's side, feeling around the ribs. Sam gasped as his brother pressed against his bruised ribs, and heard Dean mutter an apology under his breath.

"Well, I don't think it's broken", Dean stated. "Just cracked and very bruised. It'll probably hurt to breathe for a while."

"I could've... told you that", Sam muttered breathlessly, wrapping his arm around the ribs again for support. Dean rolled his eyes. "Now... you", Sam insisted.

Dean pressed his lips together as he looked down at his bloody hand and slowly removed it from his side. There were three tares in his gray shirt, splotches of blood surrounding them. With visibly shaking hands Dean lifted his shirt to reveal three cuts in his skin that were about half an inch deep.

"See, not that bad", Dean said, attempting a brief grin but his voice sounded tight. "They don't even need stitches."

Sam frowned. "You sure? You're loosing a lot.. of blood."

Dean waved his brother off, disappearing into the bathroom for a moment and then returning with with a piece of bandage. He sat down on his bed, jaw clenched as he pressed the bandage against the cuts, taping it to his side.

XXX

They spent the next two days in the motel, Dean regularly disappearing into the room next door where Katya and Mona were staying, while Sam was ordered to bed rest.

"Like you promised", Dean had said with a pointed look. Sam hadn't been able to argue with that; he had told the doctor he'd let Dean handle it.

The first day was quiet. Sam's ribs felt even worse and he didn't get out of bed except for the occasional staggering to the bathroom. Dean went to get takeout and more painkillers which Sam was grateful for, although he wouldn't take any if Dean didn't. Sam knew his wounds were hurting, even though Dean put up a good facade.

Katya came in before lunch and asked for their help with keeping Mona down. Apparently, for a mermaid, the first stage of drying out was anger. Dean waved at Sam to stay down when he shifted to get out of bed, and disappeared with Katya out the door. When he came back about an hour later, he told Sam that Katya had said that when Mona was dried up, they'd have to bring her to the lake where she'd died for the transformation to work.

"Huh", Sam responded, eyes thoughtful.

"What?" Dean asked.

"I just... can't shake the feeling that we're missing something. Or she's keeping something from us."

Dean frowned. "Why do you say that?"

"I don't know, really", Sam admitted. "It's like a fuzzy memory or something... like a dream. I can't put my finger on it, but whatever happened, I don't trust her."

Dean just hummed at him, seemingly considering it. Then he went out to go get them some lunch. He dropped off a salad for Sam, then told him he needed to go out to the woods again.

"Why?" Sam asked, confused.

Dean held up a water bottle. "Remember the mermaid we left chained to a tree? If we don't get her some water soon, she'll die, if we're not already too late."

Sam's eyes widened. He'd totally forgotten about the other mermaid. "Go", he encouraged Dean, not bothering to bring up the discussion of him wanting to come with. Sam knew he'd loose anyway, and the important thing was that Dean got out there as soon as possible.

When he returned the sun was just beginning to set, and Dean slumped tiredly onto his bed, wincing and placing a hand on his bandage.

"What happened?" Sam asked. "You alright?"

"I'm fine, just too much walking", Dean replied. "The girl was still alive, but barely. I left her two waterbottles. We can come back for her when we've cured Mona."

Sam nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

The rest of the evening passed without any excitement.

On the second day though, sometime in the afternoon, Dean came in from Katya's room and tossed Sam's jacket at him.

"Katya says it's time", he explained. "Let's roll."

Sam nodded, swung his legs off the bed and took a moment to collect himself before putting the jacket on. He felt alright to walk around today, although bending over hurt both his back and side.

When Dean had changed his bandages that morning, Sam had seen a faint redness around the cuts, but Dean had waved it away. Sam had decided to keep a close eye on his brother from there-on.

Sam got off the bed and followed his brother into the room next-door. Mona was sitting on the floor leaning against a wall, her eyes closed and a wheezing sound coming from her lungs as she took in shallow breaths. She wasn't in chains anymore, probably too weak to do them any harm. As they got closer, Sam could see what looked like small cracks in her skin, which had turned a pale gray shade. Her lips were dry and cracked, shaking slightly with every breath she took. For some reason, Sam couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

Katya was kneeling next to her sister, a faint trace of a tear along her left cheek.

"You okay?" Sam asked.

"We can't wait any longer", Katya replied, her voice shaking slightly. "She'll die."

Dean nodded in understand, crouching on the opposite side of Mona. "Want me to carry her?"

"No, I'll do it", Katya said, shaking her head. "Besides, you're still injured."

Dean snorted but didn't say anything.

Katya stuck one hand under her sister's legs and wrapped the other around her back, and then she stood, clutching her sister to her chest. "Lead the way."

Sam opened the door for them and Dean walked out first. Katya followed, her eyes pained as she gave Sam a small smile as if to say _thanks_. Sam returned the smile. _Of course._

When they got to the Impala, Katya gently put Mona down across the backseat and then jumped in so she could sit with Mona's head in her lap.

Sam went to the passenger side while Dean hopped in the driver's seat and turned the engine on.

"You ready for this?" he asked Katya, looking at her through the rearview mirror.

Katya took in a deep, shaky breath, and nodded. "I have to be."

* * *

A/N: Sorry for not updating in a while guys! I've been very busy with school and I've been sick for several weeks as well. I'm trying to write as much as I can though, so thanks for sticking with me! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review telling me what you thought, it really means a lot.


	13. Ch 13: Sacrifice

The walk through the woods was mostly quiet. Mona's struggling breaths became louder and harder to ignore, which etched lines of worry into her sister's face.

When they'd gotten about halfway to the lake, it became obvious that Katya was growing tired under her heavy load. She kept fumbling to change her hold around her sister, and her steps had grown heavy.

"Katya," Sam said softly, "you're tired. Please, let us carry her. We'll be careful."

Katya studied Sam for a moment before shifting her eyes questioningly to Dean.

"Yeah, he can't." Dean shook his head. "I'll carry her."

Sam was about to protest, feeling helpless, when his big brother sent a warning glare at him. "Knock it off, Sammy."

Katya pressed her lips together. "Alright, just… keep an eye on her breathing, okay?" Her concerned eyes swept over her sister as she shifted Mona over to Dean's arms.

"Yeah, I got her." Dean ignored the stinging pain in his side as Mona's body pressed against his side. "Let's go."

They started moving again, and Sam noticed that Katya barely took her eyes off her sister during their walk. He couldn't do much to ease her concern, though. He recognized the fear of losing family.

When the lake finally came into view, Katya let out an audible sigh of relief. "Okay, we have to hurry this up. She hasn't got much time left."

Dean nodded. "Where do you want me to put her?"

"By the water." Katya walked ahead onto the beach and stood so close to the water that she could feel it spray across her ankles, and gestured at her feet. "Right here."

Dean obeyed, putting Mona down by her sister's feet.

"What now?" Sam asked.

"Uh, now…" Katya rubbed her hands together, looking nervous. "Now there's just one more thing. And I… I didn't tell you about it, because it's going to sound crazy."

"Tell us about what?" Sam threw a pointed eye at Dean, who rolled his eyes. He had been right; Katya was hiding something.

"Okay, so, when you dry out a mermaid, you make it lose its powers, right," Katya explained. "The thing is, its powers are what's keeping it alive, since the body died. Which means that drying out a mermaid is only going to kill it, not bring the human back to life. To do that there's one last step; one more thing I have to do." She paused and took a deep, shaking breath, staring down at her feet.

"What is it?" Dean repeated sternly when she didn't continue.

Katya opened her mouth as if to reply, but hesitated, her eyes flickering anxiously between the brothers.

That's when it hit Sam. The memory shot through him like lightning, and he realized that he knew. He _knew_ what she was talking about.

"Sacrifice," Sam breathed, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at Katya.

Dean frowned, looking from Sam to Katya and back to his little brother with confusion written on his face. "What?"

But Katya was focused on Sam, eyeing him curiously. "How did you know that?"

"I… I'm not sure." He rubbed his fingers against his temple, which had begun to throb painfully with the memory. "When I was in the hospital, I had this dream. It's very fuzzy, but I remember…" He looked up at Katya. "I remember your voice, and you said… You said a sacrifice was required."

She nodded slowly, her lower lip shaking slightly. "It's true. To bring the body of the mermaid back to life, to reverse it into completely human…" She smiled sadly. "A life for a life."

"You're not serious," Dean exclaimed angrily. "You're going to sacrifice your life for hers?"

Katya scowled at him. "Wouldn't you? For your family- for _your_ brother?"

Dean flinched, memories of the events at Cold Oak flashing through his mind; holding his dead little brother in his arms, and the feeling of absolute devastation that led him to make a demon deal.

"Yes, I would," said Dean calmly, "and I have, which is why I can tell you that these kind of deals never end well. Trust me." He didn't for one second regret bringing Sam back, but what he did regret was all the pain he'd caused the one's around him; especially his younger brother.

"Besides, how do you know it's even going to work?" Sam added, eyes pleading with her. "No, there has to be another way. There always is."

"Are you kidding me?" Katya turned toward Dean, her eyes flashing with anger. "You're telling me that you've been where I am, and you went through with it and now you're standing here- both very much alive, by the way- and I'm not supposed to do the same?" She turned toward where Sam was standing slightly hunched over, an arm wrapped around his aching ribs. "And just look at what she did to you! That's all one me. I have to do this."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Dean held up a hand to stop her outburst. "What do you mean it's on you?"

"It's all my fault." Tears began to roll down Katya's face as she spoke. "I let her go out there with Tyler that d-day. Our parents were out of t-town and she was my responsibility. I couldn't… I n-never imagined…" She choked up and buried her face in her hands.

Sam took a step toward her and wrapped an arm around her shaking shoulders, rubbing his hand against her back. "It's _not_ your fault, Katya. There was no way you could've known."

"I would've done anything for h-her," she sobbed.

"We know that, okay. Believe me, I know that," Dean said, grabbing her shoulders so that she'd be forced to look at him. "But there was nothing you could've done. Don't do this to yourself, alright? It's not what she would've wanted." He threw an eye at Sam who looked back at him over Katya's shoulder with sorrow in his eyes, knowing exactly where Dean was coming from. "How's she gonna feel when she wakes up and you're dead, huh?"

Katya glanced over at her sister where she was laying on the ground, consideration filling her glistening eyes, and Dean knew he'd finally found a way to reach her.

"I'm sure she rather would've stayed dead," Sam mumbled, thinking back at his own experience, and tried to ignore the slight flinch of his brother. "Please, Katya. We'll find another way. Just… let us help, alright?"

"I…" Katya's lip wobbled as a single tear slipped out of the corner of her eye. "I don't know what to do."

Dean sighed and pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her. "It's going to be okay," he reassured her. "We'll fix this."

xxxXXXxxx

"Here," Sam said, turning in his seat to hand Katya a water bottle. "Give her only a few drops, just to keep her alive."

Katya nodded, taking the bottle and propping her sister up against her shoulder in the backseat of the Impala. She screwed the lid of and let a few drops land between Mona's dry lips, immediately easing her strained breathing a little.

Sam righted himself in the seat and bit back a groan in pain. The wounds on his back had started to heal but it made the skin around them feel even sorer, and the bruising around his ribs protested against every movement.

"You alright?" Dean asked, throwing a worried glance at his brother as he drove.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

"Better than you," he muttered, annoyed that his stubborn brother still wouldn't let on how hurt he was. Sam rolled his eyes.

"So, how are we going to find this 'other way' of yours?" Katya asked. "I'm pretty sure there's not going to be an encyclopedia on mermaids- they're a relatively unknown creature, even by hunters."

"Don't worry about it," Dean told her, a small smile playing on his lips. "We have our ways."

* * *

A/N: Hope you liked this chapter, it definitely took a while to write and post lol, sorry! Please leave a review telling me what you thought, it really motivates me to keep writing :D Thanks for reading!


	14. Ch 14: Night Terrors

When they got back to their motel room, Katya carefully placed her sister on one of the beds and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"We need to tie her down again?" Dean asked, throwing a wary glance at the mermaid.

"No." Katya pressed her lips together. "She's still too weak to do any harm, and… she's barely conscious."

Dean nodded, lifting one shoulder. "Fair enough." He turned to look at Sam who had pressed one hand to the wall for support, dark circles under his eyes as he watched Mona. "You good?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sam lied. In fact, the long walk through the forest and back hadn't done him any favors; his side was throbbing with pain and the lacerations on his back were stinging like crazy. "We need to, uh, start doing some research."

"Sam," said Dean sternly. "You're worn out, dude, I can tell. You need to lie down."

The younger brother shook his head. "No, Dean, I don't." He gestured toward Mona. "We don't have time."

Dean sighed in exasperation. "At least do your research from your bed, alright? You're not gonna be of any use if you overstrain yourself."

Sam glared at his brother, but folded and moved toward the bed. No matter how annoying Dean's bossing-around was, Sam knew he was just being protective of him.

The mattress felt heavenly soft as he sank down on it, his body grateful for the much needed rest. He reached for his computer and grimaced as his side protested painfully, then he turned the screen on and began searching for a cure.

xxxXXXxxx

Darkness. It was everything Sam was aware of; he was surrounded by it, consumed by it. It was heavy and thick and _god_ , it was hard to breathe. Before he was completely overcome with panic growing inside him, something suddenly eased the darkness. It was a small, white light, so far away that it was barely distinguishable in the darkness. But it was there. He started moving toward it, curious to see what it was. As a weak beeping sound suddenly reached his ears, the light began to blink.

 _Beep_ , and the light was on. When the beeping stopped, the light went away and the darkness nearly swallowed him. _Beep._ The light saved him again, making him feel inexplicably calm, and he kept moving toward it.

Something about it all felt so familiar- he could've sworn he'd seen the light before, heard the sound before.

He was close know, he new it. The light hadn't grown much bigger, but it was stronger, brighter. With trembling fingers he couldn't see in the dark, he reached toward the light and just as his fingers wrapped around the pearl, it stopped shining and everything went completely dark again. This time, there was no light to save him. His heart started racing as it became difficult to breathe again. There was no way out.

"Sammy!"

Sam jerked awake, his heart beating hard with lingering panic as he looked around the room, disoriented. It was dark, but not the suffocating darkness he remembered. He tried to regain his breath as his eyes became accustomed to the darkness.

"Sam, hey," Dean's voice called out to him, and Sam could finally discern his brother's silhouette by the side of his bed and noticed Dean's hands on his shoulders.

"Dean," Sam said breathlessly, wrapping his own hand around Dean's wrist to anchor himself.

"Yeah. You okay?" Dean's eyes flashed with concern as he took in his brother's pale, sweaty face. The kid had a fever, that much was obvious.

Sam swallowed hard as he sat up in the bed, rubbing a hand across his face. "Yeah, uh… yeah. Bad dream. Where's Katya and, uh, Mona?"

"They went into the room next door before nightfall," Dean explained. "You were out like a candle."

"And you didn't figure anything out?" The disappointment in Sam's voice was palpable.

Dean shook his head. "So what'd you dream about?" he asked, suspicious of a fever dream that could have his brother so noticeably freaked out.

"I…" Sam's frown suddenly dissolved and his eyes widened as realization filled him. "I know how to cure her!" He fumbled to get out of the bed but his legs were stubbornly tangled in the sheets.

"Whoa, whoa," Dean said, pushing his brother back down in the bed. "Calm down. You have a fever, Sam."

"No, Dean, look," Sam placed a hand on his brother's shoulder and pushed himself up again, "I don't know how I know, but it's just like the dream I had about Katya's sacrifice. I _know_ how to cure a mermaid. Well, not all of it, but…" He trailed off as he swung his legs out of the bed, reaching for his computer that had somehow returned to the nightstand while he slept.

Dean watched his brother open the computer with a frown still etched onto his face. He couldn't help the nagging feeling that something was wrong with his brother. The dreams, and the fever… something was up, and he promised himself he'd dig into it despite Sam's repeated insistence that he was fine.

Sam typed into the search bar three words; mermaid. cure. pearl.

The search gave one result. He clicked on the page, scrolling down the page through the lore.

"I knew it." Sam smiled as he looked up at his brother. "Listen to this.

 _When the mermaid is killed by cutting off the brain activity, its powers are withdrawn to one part in the body and so intensely focused on that spot that a pearl is created. This pearl can be used to cure the mermaid. Crush the pearl into powder and spread it over the lake in which the mermaid was created while reading the incantation stated below, and the mermaid's power will return home and in exchange send the lingering soul back into the body."_

Dean stared at his brother. "Son of a bitch. You figured it out."

Sam chuckled and feigned sounding offended. "Don't sound so surprised, dude."

"Never." Dean smirked. "Geek."

Sam leaned back in his bed and could finally relax while Dean got up and wrote the spell down on a piece of paper.  
"Alright, so how are we supposed to find one of those… shiny things?" Dean asked. "We have to kill a mermaid, right?"

"Pearls, Dean," Sam corrected. "And I already did kill a mermaid, remember?"

"Yeah, and fishing her body out from the bottom of the lake isn't going to be a problem at all." Dean's voice dripped with sarcasm as he raised his eyebrows at his brother.

Sam snorted and closed his eyes, suddenly feeling very tired. "We'll figure it out. We should go tell Katya."

"Dude, it's 2 AM," said Dean. "We'll tell her in the morning. Go back to sleep, little brother."

Sam nodded and crawled back under the covers without opening his eyes. Dean waited until he was fast asleep, which didn't take long, before touching the back of his hand to his brother's forehead. He frowned as he felt the abnormally high temperature and went to the bathroom to wet a towel with cold water. He placed it across Sam's forehead before finally sinking into his own bed again, wishing that his little brother would feel better in the morning.

* * *

A/N: I'm trying my best to get these chapters out but I'm still really busy with school! 6 weeks 'til christmas break, I can't wait to begin writing tons again!

Please leave a review telling me what you thought, I love seeing y'all's response. Thanks for reading!


	15. Ch 15: Pow(d)er

When Sam woke up the next morning he was cold. He tried to control the shivers as he swung his legs out of bed, looking around the room. It was empty. Sam frowned and glanced at the clock. 1.25 PM. Stumbling over to Dean's bed, Sam found a note with his brother's handwriting on it.

 _In town, getting the necessary._

 _Be back soon._

At least with his brother gone for a while, Sam felt that he could let his guard down. He didn't want to worry Dean by showing how bad he actually felt, but without having to keep it together for his brother, it felt like he was falling apart. Not just because of his physical injuries, but mentally as well. His thoughts were scattered and becoming harder to collect. Some rational part of him blamed the fever, but Sam suspected there was something else.

He decided to take a shower in an attempt to bring the fever down. The cool water soothed the irritated wounds on his back and made him feel a little better. When he got out of the bathroom, Dean was back. He hadn't heard him come in and silently scorned himself for being so inattentive.

"Hey," Dean said, dropping a big plastic bag on the table. "How you feeling?"

"Better," Sam replied truthfully. "Like I'm ready to cure a couple of mermaids."

Dean grinned. "I like the sound of that."

"So what did you get?" Sam nodded toward the bag.

"Some things to get the mermaid out of the lake." Dean pulled his jacket off and threw it on the bed before he started to shuffle through the bag. "Like this for example," he said, pulling out a net and some diving equipment.

"Smart." Sam sat down on his bed, pulling a hand through his wet hair. "Are we leaving now?"

"As soon as possible," Dean said. He turned toward his brother, giving him a suspicious look. "Are you sure you're up for this?"

Sam nodded. "Yes. We have to do this."

"I know." Dean sighed. "Just... promise you'll let me know if you feel worse again."

"Of course."

xxxXXXxxx

For the umpteenth time that week, they drove out to the lake again. It was a sunny day and the walk through the forest passed in a blur to Sam. Dean and Katya were talking but he couldn't make himself focus on what they were saying. When they finally reached the lake Sam was sweaty and weak with dizziness. He leaned against the nearest tree to try and regain some strength, giving his brother a reassuring smile as he glanced over worriedly. Katya, who had been supporting Mona, lay her sister down on the beach.

"Okay, let's get started." Dean said, rubbing his palms together. "Here's the plan."

Katya was handed the rope, which was attached to the net, and given the responsibility to tie it to a tree and make sure that it held. Dean, putting on the diving equipment, was going to take it upon himself to dive into the lake and fasten the net around Amanda's body. Then he would swim back to the shore and they would use the rope to pull her up. Sam was given the task to keep a lookout, which he protested against.

"Sam, you're hurt," Dean growled. "You can't do anything else or I'll just be distracted and worried about you, okay?"

That was the only thing that could shut Sam up and he reluctantly agreed.

"Good." Dean turned to Katya. "Are you ready for this?"

Katya's eyes turned fierce. "Definitely."

She grabbed one end of the rope as Dean grabbed the other end that was attached to the net, and walked into the water. Katya quickly secured the rope around a tree and then grabbed the rope to be sure. There was a splash, and then Dean was out of sight. Sam tried to stay sharp, his gun at the ready, as he looked around the forest. There were no other mermaids that they knew of, but that didn't mean that they weren't in danger.

More and more of the rope disappeared into the water as Dean swam further away. Katya looked nervous but determined as she gripped the rope. She glanced over at Sam.

"You doing okay?" she asked, her brown eyes studying him.

Sam nodded but didn't say anything, look out at the lake.

"He'll be okay. He's strong." She smiled a little. "Especially with you by his side."

Sam turned to look at her. "So will she."

Katya's smile faltered as she thought of her sister. "She makes me stronger, too. I can't lose her."

"I know." Sam nodded. "I understand. You know, I went through something similar to Mona. Everyone was saying I was destined to become something dark and evil, and there were times I even believed it myself. But Dean…"  
"He wouldn't let you." Her eyes filled with empathy. "He brought you back?"

"So many times that I've lost track. I owe him everything."

"You've only ever had each other, have you?" Katya asked, tilting her head curiously.

"Yeah. Our mother was killed when Dean was four, and since then… well, our dad was just a shell of what he used to be. Then the demon took him too." Sam swallowed, pushing his emotions aside. "Your parents are both alive?"

Katya nodded. "They don't even know about the supernatural. I can't imagine… I'm sorry. About your parents."

There was a sudden tug on the rope and Dean's head broke through the surface of the lake. "Start pulling her up!" he shouted and started swimming toward the shore.

Sam grabbed the rope in front of Katya and they started pulling together. He ignored the strain on his back; this was something he could help with. When they'd pulled about a third of the rope back onto the sand, Dean reached the shore. Out of breath, he pulled the mask off and took big gulps of air. "I hate diving," he muttered. Then he walked up to Katya and Sam to help pull Amanda's body to shore. Dean placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, his face grave.

"Sam, rest." His eyes flashed warningly as he saw Sam open his mouth, about to protest. "Dude, I'm serious. You can't see yourself but you look like you're about to pass out."

"Sam, he's right," Katya said. "Please don't add your death to my guilty conscious."

Sam frowned. "Who said anything about dying," he muttered, but obeyed. He sat down, leaning against the trunk of a tree, and pressed a hand to his forehead as a wave of vertigo struck him. His entire body was aching, protesting against the strain he had put on it.

As Dean and Katya pulled on the rope, Sam's thoughts wandered to the cure. The lore had said that the _"pearl can be used to cure the mermaid."_ He wasn't sure if that meant that the pearl would only cure _that_ mermaid or if it could be used to cure them all. The only way to find out would be to do what it said. _"Crush the pearl and spread it over the lake."_ An image of the pearl from his dreams flashed through his head, and he felt his eyelids grow heavier. The way it had shone, called out to him, amid the darkness… The pearl was the mermaid's power, and it had called out to him. It wanted him. And maybe he wanted it too. If he would just stop fighting, allow himself to sink into the darkness that was so close to him. The dark was all around him, swallowing him whole. Maybe he could find that light again…

* * *

A/N: I'm sorry it's been so long since my last update! School has been HELL. I haven't had a free moment, but now it's calming down and I go on summer break in a week. So I'm definitely planning to update more on all of my stories during this summer. I hope some of you all have stuck with me!

Hopefully you liked this chapter! This story only has a couple left before it's over... Please leave a review telling me what you thought, I really appreciate any feedback :)


	16. Ch 16: A Life for A Life

"Sam!"

Dean patted his brother's cheek, calling out to him. Sam's eyes had fallen closed, Dean didn't know when, he hadn't been paying enough attention.

Sam's pulse was steady, but something was wrong. Dean could feel it, his big brother instincts setting off loud alarms. His little brother's skin was warm, too warm, and his skin had turned pale and ashen. Worst of all, he wasn't responding. Not to his name, not to cold water, nor to pain. And it was freaking Dean out.

"I don't know what's wrong with him," he said to Katya, his eyes wide with fear.

Her eyebrows drew together in sympathy and she walked over to Sam, taking his pulse. With a frown, she lay him down on his side and pulled his shirt up to look at his back. No blood on the bandages. She tugged at a corner of the bandage and revealed the cuts on his back. Dean gasped. The cuts were almost healed, but instead of the flesh around them being red, it was gray. Not just a hint of the color, but as gray as stone.

"She must've infected him," Katya whispered. "The mermaid."

"What, is he turning into one of them?" Dean's voice was shaking, his jaw clenched.

"I don't think so. To become a mermaid, you have to drown. I think he's just… dying." She swallowed hard. "Like the wounds caused by her claws have slowly been heating his body up to the point that it will drain the life out of him."

"How the hell do we stop it?" Dean rubbed a hand across his face in despair, then placed his hands on either side of Sam's neck, searching his face for any sign of consciousness.

"I have no idea." A silent tear fell down Katya's cheek as she looked at Sam's face. "Maybe he's... what if he…" She couldn't finish the sentence.

Dean's eyes narrowed in anger as he realized what she was saying. "No! No, I'm not giving up on him. Ever." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "We finish this now. Maybe… maybe that'll help him." Dean nodded as if convincing himself, then got to his feet. He walked over to Amanda's body and knelt, studying her face. Her skin was gray and wet, almost dissolving from being in the water for so long.

"How do we find the pearl?" Katya asked from behind him.

"Sam… Sam said something about the mouth." Dean leaned over the body, placing his fingers on her chin. "He thinks because… because it is the mouthpiece of our souls, that it is where the power is centered after the mermaid dies." Gently, Dean pulled her mouth open, praying that his brother was right. But there was nothing there.

"Damn it!" Dean exclaimed. He stood abruptly, kicking the sand in frustration. He didn't know what to do. His brother was burning away by the second and he couldn't stop it. Would he have to cut open the girl to search for a stupid pearl? It would be like looking for a needle in a, very bloody, haystack. Dean tried to control his breathing and gather his thoughts.

"Here!" Katya suddenly called out. Dean turned toward her, and saw that she was now kneeling next to Amanda's body. Her fingers reached into her open mouth and, after a few seconds, pulled out a white pearl. She smiled at Dean. "Under the tongue."

She held her hand out toward Dean and he took the small pearl from her open palm. "Thank you," he said softly. She had probably just saved his brother. Dean reached out and touched her cheek swiftly, and there was a moment when their eyes connected. Then he turned away and went to pull a mortar out of his bag. He placed the pearl in the stone bowl and begun to crush it. In a couple of minutes it was nothing but white powder in the bowl. It glistened like gold in the sunlight and he couldn't take his eyes off it. It radiated power, and strong magic. It was calling for him to take it, to use it instead of throwing it away. Maybe he could do something good with it…

Suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder.

"Dean?" Katya asked, her eyes concerned.

Dean looked up from the bowl with confusion written on his face; the connection was broken. He felt lost. What had he been doing?

She gave him a comforting smile. "We'll do it together," she said softly, holding her hand out. Dean took it, and they walked toward the water together. Katya nodded toward the bowl.

"Go ahead," she said, squeezing his hand before letting it go.

Dean swallowed. He grabbed the bowl with both hands and, tilting it over, moved it sideways in a fast sweeping motion. The powder flew out of the bowl, landing several feet out into the lake. As soon as it touched the water, it began to sizzle. Steam rose from the lake as it bubbled, almost like the water was boiling, and the color of the water shifted from blue to a deep turquoise. Katya and Dean were both entranced as the water started shimmering and eradiating a light that was growing stronger by the second. Soon, it was almost impossible to look at. Dean finally looked away, covering his eyes. In a heartbeat, it was over. The light was gone. As Dean look up again, the lake was back to normal. The water was a pale blue again, not boiling or sizzling. He looked over at Katya, but she was already moving away from him, toward her sister. Mona had begun to sit up on the beach, her expression dazed as she looked around. Her eyes fell upon her sister. "Katya?"

"Yeah, it's me," Katya cried, tears streaming over her face as she kneeled in the sand, embracing her sister. It struck Dean that Mona's face wasn't gray anymore, and it wasn't dried out. She looked human again. She looked happy.

"What… what happened to me?" Mona asked, drying tears from her face.  
Katya's face was pretty much radiating with happiness. "What do you remember?"

Mona frowned. "I… I was drowning. I was under water, and couldn't breathe…" She flinched at the memory, and Katya hugged her sister again.  
"You're okay now," she reassured her. "I'll tell you everything later. I'm so happy you're okay, M."

Mona closed her eyes, returning the hug as she wrapped her arms around her older sister.

Dean was happy for them, he really was. But he dreaded the following moment when he would turn around because he knew that by now, his baby brother would either be awake, or he would be dead.


	17. Ch 17: Wake Me Up

_The darkness eased. It wasn't pressing down on him anymore, and it felt like a weight was lifted of his chest. The burning ache that had been filling his entire body only moments ago was gone and instead, he was filled with relief. He could finally rest._

Dean's body went cold as he turned around. Sam hadn't moved, but instead his body had slumped over. His head was hanging low, his chin leaning against his chest. And his chest wasn't moving. Dean scrambled over to his brother, his heartbeat loud in his ears. Two fingers on his brother's neck confirmed his worst fear; Sam's heart had stopped. Without thinking twice, Dean pulled his brother's body down on the ground and pressed his hands together over Sam's chest. _One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten._ Dean counted in his head as he continued the compressions.

"Breathe, Sam," he growled. "Come on."

He blew air into Sam's throat before moving back to his chest. _One, two, three, four, five._

"Sammy, breathe!"

 _Only a heartbeat earlier, he had been ready to give in to the darkness. But now, he was certain that there was something he was supposed to do_. Breathe, Sam. _He suddenly felt a burning desire to find his way back, out of the dark. But back to what? Pain?_ Come on. Sammy, breathe! _Back to his brother. That was it. Dean was out there somewhere. He couldn't leave him. He had to fight._

Suddenly, without warning, Sam suddenly inhaled deeply. His eyes fluttered open, a hand going to his chest as he tried to catch his breath. Dean made eye contact with his brother and was suddenly weak with relief. He fell to his knees in the sand, one hand remaining on his brother's chest.

"Dean?" Sam said, coughing slightly. He rose to his elbows, watching his brother confusedly.

"Don't scare me like that, man." Dean sighed, shaking his head slightly.

Sam looked around, eyes stopping on Mona and Katya. They were holding hands, watching him with relieved expressions. "Mona?"

Katya smiled and nodded. "She's fine."

"Thanks to you, I hear," Mona added. "I'm very grateful."

"It's what we do," Dean said with a grin. Sam nodded in agreement, smiling. He fought to push himself into a sitting position, but felt incredibly weak, breathlessly slumping to the ground again. Dean wrapped his arm around his brother's back and helped him sit up, positioning his back against the tree again.

"How are you?" Katya asked, her eyes concerned.

"Believe it or not, I'm better than ever." Sam took a deep breath. Although his ribs were still bruised, his back felt endlessly better. It wasn't burning, throbbing, stinging or aching. It was just sore. And his mind was sharper, his thoughts collected again. He frowned. "What happened to me?"

Dean pressed his lips together. "We're not sure, but we suspect that Amanda's claws infected you with something. Your fever rose to the point that you were just… burning away. When we used her magic pearl or whatever, to cure Mona- well, you were cured as well, but you... you just..." Dean looked away, unable to finish the sentence. It was still too real, too fresh in his memory.

"Amanda?" Mona suddenly asked, a frown on her face. "What happened to Amanda?"

Sam was surprised. "You don't… remember?"

"She doesn't remember anything after she was drowning," Katya clarified, wrapping an arm around her sister. "I'm going to explain everything to her later-"

"No, please, tell me now," Mona pleaded, turning toward her sister. "You don't understand… I'm so confused. I don't know where I am or who they are. I want to know what happened to my friends…"

Her voice died away as her eyes caught sight of Amanda's body, still laying by the water. "Oh my god. Amanda?" Mona's voice was shaking as she got to her feet. "What happened to her?" she exclaimed, turning her eyes to look between Sam and Dean.

Katya gently tugged on her hand. When Mona wouldn't turn toward her, she got to her feet and grabbed her younger sister by the shoulders.

"Mona, listen to me. There are things in out there that you don't know about." Katya took a deep breath, carefully watching her sister's reaction. "Supernatural things. They're real. And Amanda, she was one of them. She was… a mermaid."

"A… what?" Mona's eyes widened with shock.

"A mermaid. They're real, and so are werewolves, vampires, ghosts," Katya explained. "All of them. There are ugly things out there, and they need to be stopped." She pulled a hand through her hair, looking down at the body on the sand. "Amanda… she wasn't Amanda anymore. She had to be stopped."

"W-what about me?" Mona asked, her lower lip quivering. "Was I… was I…"

Katya nodded, tilting her head sympathetically. "You were. Past tense. We cured you, Mona. You're human again."

Slowly, Mona turned to look at Sam. "Did I… did I do that? To him?"

Sam immediately shook his head. "No, it was Amanda. That's why I…" he took a deep breath as the guilt rose it's head within him. "That's why I had to kill her. I'm so sorry, Mona."

Dean placed a hand on Sam's shoulder to offer support, seeing the pain in his eyes. He suffered with his brother, even though he knew Sam hadn't had any other choice. Sam wouldn't be alive if he hadn't killed her.

A tear ran down Mona's cheek as she looked back at her friend's body. "It's not your fault," she whispered. "I understand."

Katya reached for her sister and pulled her into another hug. "It's all over now," she said. "We can go home." She pulled back, and a big smile lit up her face. "You can meet mom and dad again. They've been so worried. Of course we'll have to come up with a story, but…"

Dean turned away to let the sisters have their reunion.

"Sam, I thought I told you to let me know if you were feeling worse," Dean said sternly. "You just... went. No warning whatsoever. Scared the crap out of me."

"I'm sorry, Dean." Sam did feel guilty about that. "Really. It just happened so fast. I wasn't even aware that I was feeling worse, I was just… tired."

Dean pulled in a deep breath, raising his eyebrows. "One hell of a case, this one."

"At least we saved one of the girls," Sam said, trying a smile.

Dean nodded, his face serious as he read the guilt in Sam's face. "We did. You've got to stop blaming yourself for Amanda, okay? Mona said it's not your fault, she forgives you."

"Yeah, but what about the rest of her family, Dean?" Sam closed his eyes. "Her parents. Friends."

Dean squeezed his brother's shoulder. "They already thought she was dead, Sam."

"I know, but I just thought…" Sam shrugged, looking over at Amanda's body. "I wish we could've brought her back to them. Like we did with Mona."

"Don't think like that, dude. There was nothing more you could've done. We save who we can today. Alright?"

Sam met his brother's eyes and after a moment's hesitation he nodded. "Yeah. Okay."

"Besides," Dean said as he remembered something. "If purifying the lake with that powder brought Mona back, then I'm sure it brought that other mermaid back too. We saved two people today."

Sam bit his lip hesitantly. "Let's go check on her."

* * *

A/N: I'm soo happy that you all seem to be liking this story! I'm really excited for you to read the rest of it, I'm working on the final chapters right now. Keep reviewing and telling me what you thought please, it's a great motivator! You guys inspire me to write more.

Thank you for reading!


	18. Ch 18: A Remedy to Cure All

Dean wrapped an arm around his brother's back and used the other to grab Sam's arm. He helped pull him to his feet, and though Sam swayed a little on his feet, he didn't seem to be in pain.

"Okay?" Dean checked, watching his brother's reaction.

Sam nodded. "Just a little dizzy. I'm fine."

"Where we going?" Katya asked as she and Mona approached the brothers.

"We wanna check on the mermaid we left in the woods," Dean replied, throwing Sam's arm over his neck as they started walking. "I believe her name was Natalie?"

Mona looked up at the name. "Natalie? She was a... and she's alive too?"

"Yeah, Sam and Dean managed to tie her to a tree," Katya explained, watching her sister as they moved between the trees. "Kept her from doing something... stupid."

"Speaking of Sam and Dean," Mona said, looking at the brothers. "How'd they come into the picture?"

"They're hunters." Katya hesitated for a moment. "And I am too, now."

Mona frowned. "Hunters?"

"We hunt evil," Dean clarified. "Demons, ghosts. Werewolves and vampires gone rogue. We kill things that need killing."

"Huh." Mona bit her lip. "Were you... going to kill me?"

There was a moment of silence. "We were," Sam finally admitted. "But then your sister stopped us, saying she had a cure. She didn't give up on you, even after all this time."

Mona stopped abruptly, looking up at her sister. "'All this time'? How long has it been?"

Katya sighed, rubbing a hand across her face. "It's been months, M."

"Oh my god," Mona whispered, a hand covering her mouth.

"It's okay." Katya gently tugged on her sister to keep them moving. "It's okay, M. You didn't miss much." She gave a small laugh. "But that is how I got into hunting. I just... I knew you weren't gone. I had to find a way to save you."

Mona smiled a little. "Thanks for that."

"Dean," Sam suddenly said. He pointed at the tree they had tied Natalie to. Only Natalie wasn't there anymore. She was gone. Left by the trunk was only pieces of the rope that had once tied her down and two crumpled water bottles.

Sam felt Dean go rigid under his arm and they both reached for their guns. Sam pulled his arm back, leaving him to stand on shaky legs, so Dean would be free.

The older brother slowly walked toward the tree, his gun ready. He picked up a part of the broken rope, examining the edges.

"Clean cut," he mumbled. He turned to look at his brother. "It's been cut by a blade or something. Not claws."

Sam pressed his lips together. "There's someone else here."

Dean nodded, his expression grave as he looked around the forest.

Suddenly, an earsplitting noise erupted all around them. It was a high-pitched scream, so loud that Dean felt like a blade was cutting through his head. It made it hard to think clearly. Barely aware of what he was doing, the gun fell out of Dean's hands and he covered his ears as he fell to his knees. Looking up, he saw that Sam was also down, pain written over his features. To his right, Katya was crouching, her hands pressed to her head as well, and he expected Mona to be doing the same thing. But to his surprise, Mona didn't seem to be in pain at all. She was kneeling next to her sister, eyes flashing with concern and her mouth moving as though she was saying something.

Then, all at once, the noise stopped. The silence was almost painful after all that noise. Sam dropped his hands, finally able to relax. There was a ringing noise left in his ears that was making it hard to concentrate. He glanced over at his brother across from him, and Dean looked just as confused as Sam felt. Mona had pulled Katya into an embrace.

Before Sam could react, two things happened at the same time. The first thing he was aware of was the familiar feel of a cold gun pressed to the back of his head. Simultaneously, he saw Dean's eyes widen as he fumbled for his gun on the ground. He raised it and pointed it to Sam's right. He had seen what Sam hadn't in that moment- a man, stepping out from behind a tree. He had raven-colored hair and didn't look much older than Dean.

"Winchesters," the man mused, a smirk playing on his lips. "I had a feeling you'd come back here."

Dean glared at the man, tightening his hold on the gun. "Get her off my brother."

The man clicked his tongue in disapproval. "Now, Dean, you're in no position to give orders. Drop the gun, or Natalie here will shoot your brother."

Dean's eyes flickered to meet Sam's for a second, then he sighed and let his gun fall to the ground.

"Who are you?" Sam asked sharply. "What do you want?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. How rude of me." The man gave a cold smile. "My name is Derek. Derek Eden."

Sam's eyes widened in surprise. _Eden_. Natalie's brother?

"That's right," Derek said. "Natalie here is my dear sister. Now, she's a little upset that you've taken her powers away."

 _"She'_ s upset?" Dean raised his eyebrows.

The man shrugged. "Okay, fine. _I_ am upset. I went through so much trouble to give these girls their powers, and you just... took them away." He shook his head. "Stupid hunters. Always messing with our plans."

"Your plan?" Sam exclaimed in disbelief. "You drowned your own sister? You turned her and the others into mermaids... _on purpose?_ "

"Well... duh." The man tilted his head, cold eyes studying Sam. "They were going to be my army. From what I've heard, Sam, you know a little about that."

Sam frowned, but didn't say anything.

"Oh, well. I'll just have to start over, seeing as you turned ALL my mermaids back into humans." Derek snorted. "Weak human beings. What a waste."

Dean straightened. The man had just confirmed that they'd succeeded; they'd cured not just Mona, but all mermaids that had been created in that lake.

"Natalie," Derek said firmly, "be a dear and pull the trigger."

"No!" Dean yelled.

Sam stiffened, gritting his teeth as he prepared for the pain of a bullet.

"Natalie!" another voice suddenly called out. Sam looked to his left and saw that it was Mona, her eyes pleading with the person who used to be her friend. "Natalie, don't. You don't want to do this."

Sam sat, tense under the gun, wishing he could read Natalie's face.

"Mona?" Natalie said from behind him. "Is that... you?"

"Natalie," Derek repeated sternly. "Do it."

Mona ignored him. "Yes, it's me, Natalie. I know you're confused, okay, I've just been through exactly what you're going through. But Sam, he's a good guy! He saved me."

Derek let out a growl. "Natalie! Don't listen to her- listen to _me_! I am your brother and I am telling you to shoot him!"

 _Click-click._ Sam heard Natalie charge the gun and in that fraction of a second he knew that she was going to pull the trigger. He instantly jerked his elbow backward, colliding with her stomach, at the same time as he twisted abruptly to the side. The gun fired into the air where Sam had been only a second ago. Natalie recoiled from the blow, clutching her stomach with a pained grimace. As she was distracted, Sam reached for the gun in her hand and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dean reach for his own gun.

Then, before he could realize what was happening, he was flying through the air. His breath was knocked out of him as he collided with a tree and he stayed on the ground for a moment, disoriented. When he had regained his breath he lifted his head and saw that Dean was on the ground as well, fighting to get to his det again.

Confused about what had just happened, Sam looked back at Derek and was surprised to find his eyes pitch black. Demon.

* * *

A/N: I'm so grateful that people are still reading this story and I'm happy that you all seem to like it! Thank you for your lovely reviews, they mean a lot to me. Please keep leaving your thoughts or suggestions, as I've said before it's what inspires me to keep writing. I will have another chapter up soon! Thanks for reading xx


	19. Ch 19: The Mind Behind the Plan

Well, at least that explained his indifference toward human lives.

Derek gave a pleased smile and snapped his fingers. Natalie and Mona immediately went rigid.

"Mona?" Katya's voice called out, but her sister was unreachable, eyes clouded.

Natalie moved toward Sam, pointing her gun at his head again, as Mona simultaneously started walking toward Dean.

Katya fumbled to get a grip over her sister and moved to stand in front of her, effectively blocking her path. "Mona, hey, can your hear me?"

With an eyeroll, Derek flicked his hand and sent Katya flying through the air. She landed in a heap on the ground several feet away, unconscious.

Mona stood in front of Dean, pulled a small knife out of her pocket and pressed it against his throat. Dean chose to not fight her for the knife, not wanting to hurt the person they had just saved.

Sam's mind was reeling, trying to find a way out of the situation. It felt impossible- pinned against the trees, there was nothing the brothers could do. The demon was obviously very powerful if he could use magic to control his creations, even after they were cured.

Then it struck him. Demon. Powerful or not, he was still a demon.

Sam looked intently as his brother, trying to catch his gaze. Finally, Dean looked over, worry in his eyes. Sam gave him a small smile, trying to communicate that he was fine, then gave a small nod toward the demon. He didn't know if Dean understood him or not, but he couldn't risk being more obvious.

Sam took a deep breath, staring over Natalie's head straight at the demon.

 _"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus,_ " Sam started chanting, _"omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio-"_

Derek frowned disapprovingly. "Natalie," he ordered. Without hesitation, she slammed the barrel of her gun into Sam's temple.

His head exploded with pain and he fought not to pass out, trying to blink away the white spots that started to dance across his vision.

"You son of a bitch," Dean growled, glaring at the demon. " _Omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica."_

Mona pulled her hand back and punched him in the jaw. Dean grunted at the pain but continued, _"Ergo draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica adjuramus te."_ Mona punched him a second time and even as he continued chanting, Dean knew it was pointless. He would never be able to finish the exorcism before passing out, not if Mona kept this up. The third punch rained down and Dean was finally forced to stop and catch his breath.

Sam pulled his head up as he heard his brother grunting, and saw Mona's fist connect with Dean's face. " _Cessa decipere humanas creaturas,"_ Sam picked up when Dean stopped.

"Sam, don't," he heard his brother say warningly, but Sam ignored him.

" _Eisque aeternae Periditionis venenum propinare-_ " The gun hit him again. This time the world darkened around him and he wasn't sure if he was conscious anymore. He fought the cobwebs in his head, trying to break through the surface into consciousness. They were so close.

Suddenly, he had the rushing sensation that he was falling. In just a second it was over again. As the darkness eased around his vision, he saw that he was now on the ground, Natalie looking down at him with unfocused eyes. Katya was wrestling with Derek on the ground.

A distraction. Exactly what they needed.

Moving slower than he would've liked, Sam kicked his leg out and swiped Natalie's legs out from under her. As she fell, he reached over and took the gun from her. Pressing his lips together, he used it to knock her unconscious.

Stumbling and with some help from a tree, Sam got to his feet. He saw that after a moment of wrestling, Dean had taken the knife from Mona and left her on the ground. He moved over to his younger brother, offering him support seeing as he was still clearly unsteady. Then they moved together toward where Derek and Katya were still fighting, and she was losing.

" _Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire,_ " Dean continued the exorcism, ignoring the aching in his bruised jaw, _"te rogamus, audi nos!"_

In a cloud of black smoke, the demon was propelled from the body of Derek Eden. His body dropped the firm grip it had held around Katya's throat and slumped to the ground. Katya, coughing, stumbled away from him and kept moving toward her sister.

With a jerk, the real Derek suddenly came to, his eyes wide with fear. He started backing away from the brothers. "W-who are you?" His gaze shifted toward where Natalie lay on the ground, unmoving, and his expression darkened. "What have you done with my sister?"

"Calm down," Dean said, his hand raised in a non-threatening gesture. "You were possessed by a demon and your sister was following your orders."

"We'll explain everything, if you'll listen," Sam added.

Derek got to his feet, watching the brothers hesitantly. Then he moves over to Natalie, crouching beside her and taking her pulse. Satisfied that she was alive, he turned toward the Winchesters again. "A demon, you say?"

Dean nodded.

"I... I don't recall any of that."

"That's what usually happens with possessions," Sam explained, eyes filled with sympathy. He knew how it felt to be possessed, both by demons and angels. "The demon had taken over your mind and body and it is often so powerful that you have no chance against it."

Derek raised his eyebrows. "You sound like you have a lot of experience with these... demons. Who are you guys?"

"My name is Dean Winchester," Dean gestured toward his brother, "and this is my brother, Sam. We're hunters."

"Hunters?"

"We hunt evil. Demons, vampires, werewolves, ghosts," replied the younger brother. "They're all real, and we fight them."

"You... fight them?" Derek wore an expression that Sam could not quite place, a blend between awe and shock. "Why?"

"It's our job," Dean said with a shrug. "We make the world a better place."

Natalie suddenly moved slightly on the ground, her eyes slowly opening. Sam noticed that they weren't unfocused anymore, but filled with confusion which then, as she saw her brother, transformed into joy.

"Derek!" she exclaimed, sitting up and throwing her arms around him.

He smiled over her shoulder. "Nice to see you too, sis."

Without warning, Natalie suddenly jerked away, fear written across her face. "The... the lake. Derek, you pushed me in. Why..."

"That wasn't your brother," Dean interrupted. "He was possessed by a demon."

"I'm so sorry, Natalie." Derek's voice was heavy with guilt. "You know I wouldn't do anything to hurt you, right?"

Natalie hesitated, looking around the forest. Her eyes fell upon Mona and Katya, sitting on the forest floor with their arms hooked. "Mona?"

Mona smiled. "Hey, Natalie."

"I think..." Natalie's face pulled into a grimace as if she was trying really hard to remember something. "I think I had a dream about you. And Amanda, she was in it too."

Mona's expression filled with sorrow. "It wasn't a dream. I'm sorry, Nat."

Natalie's eyes widened. "So Amanda, she's...?" She didn't finish the sentence. Mona just nodded.

"And we..." Natalie paused, a frown forming on her face as she remembered. "Mona, what happened to us?"

* * *

A/N: Soo, this is probably gonna be the second to last chapter! What did you all think? Plot twist, amiright? As always, please review so I can find out what y'all thought! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.

See you next time! x


	20. Author's Note

Hello everyone!

I am really sorry I haven't been able to continue this story. I've obviously taken a break from FanFiction, and am moving on to something bigger! I am aspiring to become a real, published author :) But that is still a long way away, and I need y'all's support! I am currently writing my first multi-chaptered novel and have decided to start publishing it on wattpad. If you would give it a read and maybe leave a comment with some feedback, I would appreciate it tons! No author becomes a great author without the POV's of others. This novel is inspired by recent events, of the hatred that's spreading through our world, though it is distinctively Fantasy/Sci-fi and set in a near future. I hope you will give it a try and hopefully you'll like it! You'll find the link down below.

story/129691476-the-odiums?utm_source=web&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share_myworks

Thank you all.

(P.S I'll be back to FanFiction soon, I have only 6 months left of school.)

/Johanna


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